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Understanding kidney disease

GEHA | September 17, 2018

Kidney disease
Read how your kidneys play a major part in keeping your body clean.

Your kidneys are each about the size of your fist. You might not hear about kidney health often, it plays a major part in keeping your body clean from excess waste, balancing your blood pressure and producing of red blood cells.

Each kidney can process about 40 gallons of fluid daily. When the fluid is processed, the amount of minerals and salt in your body becomes balanced. Those minerals include calcium, phosphorus, sodium and potassium.

If your kidneys are damaged, the fluid and toxins remain in your body. Those toxins cause health problems like:

  • Swollen ankles and/or puffy eyes
  • Nauseousness and vomiting
  • Shortness of breath
  • Loss of appetite
  • Lack of energy

If the symptoms are not addressed, your condition can worsen and become life threatening. Chronic kidney disease can effect many other parts of your health, including bone density, immune response, blood pressure, cognitive ability and more. Eating healthy and exercising regularly can help keep your kidneys healthy and avoid these serious complications.


Sources:
“Chronic Kidney Disease.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 8 Mar. 2018.
“What Are the Symptoms of Kidney Disease?” WebMD, WebMD.
“What Is Kidney Disease?” WebMD, WebMD.