Kidney Disease Information

About Your Kidneys
The kidneys are two of the most important organs in your body. They perform many vital functions, which includes primarily

• filtering the blood, keeping some compounds and removing others,
• removing waste and excess fluid, and
• regulating blood pressure, blood cells and the amount of certain nutrients in the body.

The kidneys are located in the small of your back (the lower back) just a couple of inches above your waist, and to either side of your spinal column (vertabrae). Each is about the size of your fist. (This can be said to be an accurate statement about the size of kidneys because each person's kidneys are proportionate to the rest of their body size and frame. Thus, each person's kidneys are about the size of THEIR fist.)

Statistics About Kidney Disease
Millions of families see the effects of kidney and urinary tract diseases every year. The effects are widespread in this country and elsewhere. The following are some real-life statistics about kidney diseases (from Network 8 and UNOS):

Regional Statistics

• 8,142  in TN are on dialysis to stay alive.
• 2,599 are in Middle Tennessee, 3,166 are in West Tennessee and 2,377 are in East TN.
•  There are 10 transplant centers in the State of Tennessee.  This includes:

  Baptist Memorial Hosp 
  Erlanger Med Ctr 
  Johnson City Med Ctr Hosp 
  Le Bonheur Childrens Med Ctr
  Methodist University Hospital
  Centennial Medical Center 
  St. Thomas Hospital
  Univ of Tennessee Med Ctr 
  Vanderbilt Univ Med Ctr 
  Nashville VA Medical Center

• There are 2,258 Tennesseeans waiting for Life saving organ transplant.  This includes
• 1871  Kidney
• 205 Liver
• 13 Pancreas
• 18 Kidney/Pancreas
• 120 Heart
• 37 Lung

The Facts About Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

• 26 million Americans - 1 in 8 US adults - have CKD and another 20 million more are at increased risk.
• Early detection can help prevent the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure.
• Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the best estimate of kidney function.
• Hypertension causes CKD and CKD causes hypertension.
• Persistent proteinuria means CKD.
• High risk groups include those with diabetes, hypertension and family history of kidney disease.
• African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans and Seniors are at increased risk.
• Three simple tests can detect CKD: blood pressure, urine and serum creatinine.

What is Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)?
Chronic kidney disease includes conditions that damage your kidneys and decrease their ability to keep you healthy by doing the jobs listed. If kidney disease gets worse, wastes can build to high levels in your blood and make you feel sick. You may develop complications like high blood pressure, anemia (low blood count), weak bones, poor nutritional health and nerve damage. Also, kidney disease increases your risk of having heart and blood vessel disease. These problems may happen slowly over a long period of time. Chronic kidney disease may be caused by diabetes, high blood pressure and other disorders. Early detection and treatment can often keep chronic kidney disease from getting worse. When kidney disease progresses, it may eventually lead to kidney failure, which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant to maintain life.