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Kidney Care & Transplant Services of New England

Learning More About Your Kidneys

October 18th, 2018 by admin

Doctor Performing Ultrasound on Patient

Did you know? There are about 1.15 million nephrons in your body, acting as little filtering units that filter out harmful toxins. These are part of the process that protects your body and creates urine. Your kidneys reabsorb and distribute 99% of your blood volume and filter the rest to become urine. Because all your blood gets filtered every 30 minutes, the kidneys pump about 400 gallons of blood through your body every day. That’s a lot of liquid! So, it’s important to stay hydrated and drink enough water to keep your kidneys functioning well.

While one kidney can do all the work on its own, sometimes your kidneys are too damaged to properly clean the blood as well as they used to. In that case, we’re talking about chronic kidney disease. About 14% of Americans suffer from the disease, often without realizing it in the early stages. Diagnosis involves blood and urine tests to identify abnormalities and check levels of creatinine and urea, as well as imaging tests. If you’re coming to our office for diagnostics or treatment, you may undergo a painless ultrasound procedure. This helps us get a better image of the structure of the kidneys and their size or look for anything unusual.

In addition to running tests, our team can explain the different related organs and biological processes, as well as answer any questions you have, whether it’s about nutrition, surgeries, resources, or medications. Our team of specialists is here to help you understand your disease and feel comfortable throughout your treatment.

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