Kidney Transplant

Kidney Transplant

Kidney Failure
Transplant Evaluation
Procedures

Kidney Failure

Most people are born with two kidneys, located behind the abdominal organs and below the rib cage. They perform several important functions including:

• Filtering blood to remove waste products, passing the waste from the body as urine and returning water and chemicals back to the body as necessary
• Regulating blood pressure by releasing several hormones
• Stimulating red blood cell production by releasing the hormone erythropoietin

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that produce urine. Urine is carried to the bladder and when the bladder is full, urine is excreted from the bladder through the urethra.

When the kidneys stop working, the condition is referred to as "end-stage renal disease." Toxic waste products accumulate in the body and either dialysis or a kidney transplant is required to sustain life.

The most common causes of kidney failure include:

• Diabetes mellitus
• Glomerulonephritis
• High blood pressure
• Polycystic kidney disease
• Severe defects of the urinary tract

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated January 8, 2008