What are kidneys? The kidneys are two organs shaped like beans that are as big as your fist.  They grow as you grow and develop.  Your kidneys are located in the lower portion of your back, just below your rib cage.

Why are kidneys important?
The kidneys provide several vital functions.  Some of them are to help remove waste and excess fluid from the body, to filter the blood and keep some of the nutrients while excreting other compounds, and they also help regulate blood pressure, red blood cells, and the amount of certain nutrients such as calcium and potassium.  If your kidneys stop functioning, you must undergo dialysis to clean your blood (or get a kidney transplant) so that toxins do not build up in your blood and cause you additional medical problems.

What do kidneys do?  How do they work?
Blood enters your kidneys through an artery that comes from your heart.  As the blood flows through the kidney it is cleaned by passing through thousands of tiny filters.  The waste materials go through the ureter and are stored in the bladder as urine.  When the bladder becomes full, you are able to get rid of this urine as it passes through the urethra.  The newly cleaned blood circulates
through the bloodstream through veins.

What is kidney failure?
Kidney failure simply means that your kidneys have stopped working.When your kidneys do not work, your body cannot control the amount of fluid that builds up in your body or balance the amounts of different nutrients like potassium and phosphorous.  In some cases, this loss of kidney function is temporary and may return, but most often kidney failure is permanent.  Even if kidney failure is temporary, medical treatment (dialysis) must be undertaken to protect your body from toxins and fluid buildup.

What causes damage to your kidneys?
The kidneys can be damaged in an accident (physical trauma) or by disease.  The two most common causes of kidney failure are from the complications of uncontrolled diabetes or high blood pressure.  Additionally, overuse of over-the-counter drugs such as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs--like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, etc.) can cause kidney damage.