HealthGenie Blog

Precautions to Take When Having Only One Kidney

Nethan and Shirley were going around with each other in their college days. They lived in the illusion of love and dreamt to tie the knot. But in the later years unfortunately, the fate forced them to choose different paths to walk in the journey of life. Off course! with new partners’.

Reminiscing the good old days, one fine bright morning Shirley called Nethan over the phone,

Shirley: “Hi there! – How are you?”

Nethan: “Hey – I am good – you tell me – where have you been all these days – long time.”

Shirley: “I was in the hospital since last one month. Anyways, congratulations – you have become a father.”

Nethan: “Oh! Thanks – What happened? Why are you sounding so ill?

Shirley: “There were some complications in my stomach – therefore, around a month back – I went to see a Doctor – some tests were done and also my Ultrasound.”

Nethan: “So, what were the results.”

Shirley: “The results gave me goose bumps – the Doctor says – I have only one Kidney by birth.”

Nethan: “What! You must be kidding – How is this possible?”

Nethan was both surprised and shocked. He stood speechless. But Shirley was serious and not in a mood to throw riddles to Nethan. She never knew about this fact of her body either. Thanks to the Ultrasound that Shirley discovered the absence of one Kidney in her body.

According to the facts, in approximately 750 people, one is born with only one Kidney in the body. ‘Renal Agenesis’ is the term which have been medically bestowed to this specific condition in humans.

In this case of ‘Renal Agenesis’ that is said to occur more in men than women, usually it’s the left Kidney which is not present in the body.

Furthermore, it is also true that it does not get detected by many people unless they undergo an X-Ray or Sonogram in order to get checked for the cause to other complications. Possibilities are even there that one might not know throughout his or her life that he lived with one Kidney.

Nevertheless, one such other condition, medically called ‘Renal Dysplasia’ where the second Kidney is very well present, but is of no use or do not function properly.

Precautions of Living with Only One Kidney

However, the fact can not be denied that in many cases the person with single kidney in the body and that too by birth, have led a normal life, but even then it is suggested to take some precautions to avoid the cure in the future.

It is to be noted that one who lives with one Kidney should not get indulged into contact sports like playing Football, Kicking or Boxing etc. Excess amount of burden on the single Kidney can force it to get enlarged putting it at peril.

A case of ‘Renal Agenesis’ should regularly consult the Doctor to keep a regular check on the High Blood Pressure. A person with one Kidney in the body is most likely to develop Hypertension.

‘Renal Agenesis’ very often causes Proteinuria – a condition where the body loses much of the Protein through urine. Protein which is an important nutrient for the body gets extracted from the blood and gets out of the body through urine. The lack of Protein can cause swelling of ankles, face, hands and legs etc.

It has also been found that in a case where there is solitary Kidney in the body, the Kidney in most of the cases have grown faster and bigger than a normal one. Thus, a single Kidney works for two Kidneys alone.

However, if one day you suddenly comes to know that you have a single Kidney in your body, there’s nothing to worry about it. You just need to eat right – drink right. Further, regular exercise and regular medical check-ups can always help you lead a normal life without any complications.

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