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    1. About Kidney Disease
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease
      3. Kidney Disease Stages
      4. What Is a Nephrologist?
      5. What to Expect with CKD
      6. Kidney Disease Management
      7. Understanding Acute Kidney Injury
      8. How Kidneys Work
      9. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
    2. Treatments
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Dialysis Basics
      3. Benefits of Home Dialysis
      4. Home Peritoneal Dialysis
      5. Home Hemodialysis
      6. Sign up to Talk to a Home Dialysis Expert
      7. In-Center Hemodialysis
      8. Transplant
      9. Insurance & Managing Costs
      10. Choosing Not to Treat
    3. Life On Dialysis
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Your Emotional Health While on Dialysis
      3. Staying Engaged
      4. Staying Healthy
      5. Dialysis Travel Services and Information
      6. Tips for Loved Ones
      7. PatientHub
    4. Recipes & Nutrition
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Recipes
      3. Managing Your Diet
      4. Fluid Management on Dialysis
      5. Dialysis Diet Planning
      6. Cookbooks
    5. Thrive Central
      1. CKD
      2. Dialysis
      3. Diet & Nutrition
      4. Stories
      5. Wellness
      6. See All
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    Find a Dialysis Center

    Find a Dialysis Center

    Find a Dialysis Center
    Permission to detect location was denied Current location could not be determined
      Try a detailed search

      Need help? Call 1-888-373-1470

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      1. About Kidney Disease
        1. Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease
          1. Symptoms
          2. Risk Factors
          3. Causes
          4. Diagnosis and Testing
          5. GFR Calculator
        2. Kidney Disease Stages
          1. Stage 1
          2. Stage 2
          3. Stage 3
          4. Stage 4
          5. Stage 5
        3. What Is a Nephrologist?
        4. What to Expect with CKD
        5. Kidney Disease Management
          1. Kidney Diet Basics
          2. CKD Medications
          3. Your Kidney Care Team
          4. Diabetes
          5. High Blood Pressure
        6. Understanding Acute Kidney Injury
          1. Acute Kidney Injury Treatment and Recovery
        7. How Kidneys Work
        8. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
      2. Treatments
        1. Dialysis Basics
          1. How Does a Hemodialysis Machine Work
          2. Starting Dialysis
          3. Types of Dialysis Access
          4. Your Care Plan
          5. Dialysis Medications
          6. Monitoring Your Lab Results
        2. Benefits of Home Dialysis
        3. Home Peritoneal Dialysis
          1. What to Expect
          2. Getting Prepared
          3. PD Access
          4. PD Training
          5. PD Monitoring
          6. Your Care Team
        4. Home Hemodialysis
          1. What to Expect
          2. Getting Prepared
          3. HD Training
          4. HD Monitoring
          5. Your Care Team
        5. Sign up to Talk to a Home Dialysis Expert
        6. In-Center Hemodialysis
          1. In-Center Treatment Options
          2. What to Expect
          3. Types of Vascular Access for Hemodialysis
          4. Your Care Team
          5. How to Choose a Center
        7. Transplant
          1. Finding a Kidney Donor
          2. Considering Kidney Donation
        8. Insurance & Managing Costs
          1. Understanding Medicare Coverage
          2. Understanding Medicare Advantage
          3. Understanding Employer Plans
        9. Choosing Not to Treat
      3. Life On Dialysis
        1. Your Emotional Health While on Dialysis
          1. Managing Your Emotions
          2. Talking About Dialysis
          3. Intimacy
          4. Body Image and Dialysis
          5. Building Your Dialysis Support Network
        2. Staying Engaged
          1. Tips for Working While on Dialysis
          2. In-Center Activities
          3. Hobbies
        3. Staying Healthy
          1. Managing Your Time on Dialysis
          2. Dialysis & Exercise
          3. Weight Management
          4. Avoiding Infection
          5. Managing Multiple Conditions
          6. Fighting the Flu
        4. Dialysis Travel Services and Information
        5. Tips for Loved Ones
          1. In-Center Hemodialysis
          2. At-Home Hemodialysis
          3. At-Home Peritoneal Dialysis
        6. PatientHub
      4. Recipes & Nutrition
        1. Recipes
        2. Managing Your Diet
          1. Eating Well on a CKD Diet
          2. Eating Well on a Dialysis Diet
          3. Salt and Kidney Disease
          4. Potassium and Kidney Disease
          5. Phosphorus and Kidney Disease
          6. Talking With Your Dietitian
        3. Fluid Management on Dialysis
        4. Dialysis Diet Planning
          1. Kidney-Friendly Shopping
          2. Eating Out
          3. Holiday Diet Tips
          4. A Chef’s Advice | Chef Aaron McCargo on Kidney Friendly Meals
        5. Cookbooks
      5. Thrive Central
        1. CKD
        2. Dialysis
        3. Diet & Nutrition
        4. Stories
        5. Wellness
        6. See All
      1. Home
      2. About Kidney Disease
      3. How Kidneys Work
      Illustration of kidneys in human body

      How Kidneys Work

      Share:
      Most people are born with two kidneys. They’re bean-shaped organs, about the size of fists, located on either side of your spine near the middle of your back. These amazing organs help keep you healthy in so many ways—which is why kidney function is so crucial to your overall well-being.

      Masters of Waste Removal

      Your kidneys’ main function is to maintain a chemical balance in your body, 24/7. Think of them as your own personal complex waste treatment plant. Healthy kidneys work by filtering your blood to create about 2 quarts—half a gallon—of urine every day.
      How kidneys function
      cap-green-large-nofill

      TAKE A FREE KIDNEY CARE CLASS

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      “DON’T WAIT TO GET TESTED—IT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE.”

      Take the next step to early kidney disease detection.
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      Final illust_glomerulusfpo_with callouts_2416

      Kidney parts and functions

      For each kidney:

      • Renal artery—the large artery that carries blood from the heart to the kidneys to be cleaned
      • Nephrons—millions of these tiny filtration centers exist throughout the kidneys
      • Glomerulus—a special “strainer” inside each nephron that keeps the blood cells and necessary substances in your blood and filters extra fluid and waste out
      • Ureter—the tube from the bladder that allows urine to exit your body. Urine is made as kidneys filter out excess fluid and waste

      Kidneys: the ultimate multitaskers

      Kidneys don’t just clean your blood, they also play other vital roles in your overall health. On a daily basis, your kidneys work to:

      • Release hormones to help regulate blood pressure
      • Control sodium and fluid levels in your body
      • Stimulate production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body
      • Create vitamin D to help your body absorb calcium

      When kidneys stop working

      Your body needs kidney function to survive. If the kidneys aren’t doing their job, waste builds up in the bloodstream to become debilitating and ultimately life-threatening. Fortunately, dialysis can take the place of some kidney functions and, along with medication and care, help a person live longer. In fact, some people live for decades with dialysis treatment. A kidney transplant may also be an option for people whose kidneys have stopped functioning. 

      Kidney failure occurs at stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD), also called end stage renal disease (ESRD). For people living with CKD, detection and treatment at early stages can help slow progression of the condition and keep kidneys functioning longer. Damage from chronic kidney disease is irreversible, so the earlier CKD is diagnosed and action is taken, the better.

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