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Nephrotic syndrome may occur when the filtering units of the kidney are damaged. This damage allows protein normally kept in the plasma to leak into the urine in large amounts, which reduces the amount of protein in your blood. Since the protein in the blood helps keep fluid in the bloodstream,...
Goodpasture's Syndrome is an uncommon autoimmune disease that affects both the kidneys and the lungs. An autoimmune disease means that the immune system, which usually protects the body from infection, attacks healthy parts of the body by mistake. What causes the disease? The body's immune system...
What is interstitial cystitis? Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a disorder in which the bladder (the organ that stores urine before it is passed out of the body) is overly sensitive, and usual causes for this, such as infection, cannot be found. The major symptoms are: pain in the pelvic area urgent...
What is a nephrectomy? Nephrectomy (nephro = kidney, ectomy = removal) is the surgical removal of a kidney. The procedure is done to treat kidney cancer as well as other kidney diseases and injuries. Nephrectomy is also done to remove a healthy kidney from a donor (either living or deceased) for...
What is Fabry Disease? Fabry disease is a rare disorder that happens when the body lacks an important enzyme called alpha-galactosidase A (alpha GAL). This enzyme breaks down certain fats so they can be removed from cells and passed out of the body or be recycled for other functions. When alpha GAL...
What is minimal change disease? Many diseases can affect your kidney function by attacking and damaging the glomeruli, the tiny filtering units inside your kidney where blood is cleaned. The conditions that affect your glomeruli are called glomerular diseases. One of these conditions is minimal...
Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in American men. One of every 10 American men will develop prostate cancer at some time in his life. Prostate cancer is usually curable when caught and treated early. However, many cases are not diagnosed until the disease is advanced. Since early...
What is extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy? Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is a technique for treating stones in the kidney and ureter that does not require surgery. Instead, high energy shock waves are passed through the body and used to break stones into pieces as small as grains of...