Description/Location:

    Sometimes the left kidney is placed one inch above the right kidney. Each kidney is about four to five inches long, about two inches thick and weighing four to six ounces in a average adult. These two kidneys are also located in the back of the abdomen area. The color of the kidneys are usually a redish-brown.

     The kidneys maintain a certain amount of fluid and salt. When bad hormone signals are given to the kidneys, more or less water and (or) salt are produced. The kidneys also help maintain the normal blood pressure.

Diseases/Illnesses:
 
    Nephritis is one of the most common diseases in the kidneys. It causes a problem in the urinary system. This disease is more common in childhood than in middle age. The kidneys can also get certain types of tumors such as the Wilms's tumor which is most frequent in children. But there are recently devised treatments that have cured many children.

Problems:
 
    Another problem that is also a major problem to a lot of the other organs is...drugs. They can really damage the blood flow to the kidneys so they will not be able to filter the wastes out of the bloodstream. Your kidneys will not operate properly. Drugs can also effect other organs besides the kidneys.

    I hope you learned a lot on this page and will visit some other places on our web site.
 

Electronic Sources:

   "Body Works." Vers. 4.0. Softkey  International, Inc. 1993.

   "KIdney." Encarta '95. 1995 Edition. Microsoft Corp. 1992-1994.