We can live quite well with only one kidney and some people live a healthy life even though born with one missing. But if both of your kidneys fail, as happens in end stage kidney failure, we can not live normally.
How do our kidneys work?
Think of your kidneys as an extremely sophisticated, waste disposal system, which sorts non-recyclable waste from recyclable waste, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, while also cleaning your blood. Much of this waste is produced by the body as it processes the food you eat.
Most people are born with two kidneys, each one about the size of an adult fist, are bean-shaped and weigh around 150 grams each. The kidneys are located at both sides of your backbone just under the rib cage or above the small of your back. They are protected from injury by a large padding of fat, your lower ribs and several muscles.
What do your kidneys do?
Our kidneys are small biological marvels with a fascinating design. Healthy kidneys act like a filter to make sure the right amount of wastes and fluids are removed. Every hour your blood supply circulates through the kidneys about 12 times. Each day your kidneys process around 200 litres of blood, with around 1 to 2 litres of waste leaving the body as urine.
Our kidneys make three important hormones, erythropoietin, renin and active vitamin D. Erythropoietin stimulates the production of red blood cells, renin is involved in the control of blood pressure and active vitamin D controls calcium uptake and helps make strong bones.
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