Humans are born with 2 kidneys, one on each side of the spine in the lower back. The kidneys are bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist, that filter waste products from the blood and make urine. Healthy kidneys remove wastes and extra fluid from the blood, help control blood pressure, and keep the right amounts of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and phosphate in your body. Many people wonder if it’s possible to live a normal life with only 1 kidney. Here’s a quick answer:
Yes, it is possible to live a normal life with only 1 kidney. People born with a single kidney or who donate one of their kidneys can live healthy lives with one kidney if the remaining kidney is healthy. However, living kidney donors need regular checkups to monitor their kidney function.
Kidney Function and Purpose
The kidneys perform several crucial functions that are necessary for overall health:
– Filtering waste products from the blood: The kidneys filter about 200 quarts of blood daily to remove waste products like urea and extra fluid, which are expelled from the body as urine.
– Regulating fluid levels: The kidneys regulate the body’s fluid levels by either holding onto water when the body is dehydrated or getting rid of extra fluid if the body is overhydrated.
– Controlling blood pressure: The kidneys release three hormones – renin, angiotensin, and aldosterone – that help control blood pressure.
– Balancing electrolytes: Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and phosphate are balanced by the kidneys. This balance is important for nerve conduction, muscle contraction, fluid balance, and more.
– Making vitamin D: The kidneys convert vitamin D into its active form, which helps absorb calcium for healthy bones.
– Making red blood cells: A hormone made by the kidneys called erythropoietin stimulates red blood cell production in the bone marrow.
So in summary, the kidneys act as a complex filtration system to remove wastes and toxins while regulating fluid balance, electrolytes, blood pressure, and other vital functions. Having two kidneys provides backup and allows these functions to proceed normally even if one kidney is damaged or diseased.
Living With One Kidney
Although two kidneys are preferred, it is possible to live a healthy life with just one kidney if the remaining kidney is healthy. Here are some key points about living with one kidney:
– People can be born with only one kidney, called renal agenesis. If the solitary kidney is healthy, these people can live normal lives without issues.
– Kidney donors can function well with one kidney. Donors go through extensive testing to ensure their remaining kidney is healthy before donation.
– When one kidney is removed due to disease or injury, the other can take over the extra workload. People can resume normal activities and maintain good health.
– Those with one kidney have a slightly increased risk for other issues like high blood pressure, kidney disease, or kidney infection. Regular checkups help monitor for problems.
– Certain medications like over-the-counter pain relievers should be avoided to protect the one remaining kidney from damage.
– Staying hydrated, eating healthy, maintaining a healthy weight, and controlling blood pressure are important lifestyle factors.
So living with one kidney is often possible with minimal impact on daily life. However, the solitary kidney is very valuable and needs adequate protection and care.
How the Remaining Kidney Adapts
When a person is left with only one kidney, the remaining kidney goes through remarkable adaptations to take on the extra workload. Here is what happens:
– The kidney gets bigger: The remaining kidney enlarges by about 50% over 2-3 months to increase the number of nephrons. Nephrons are the tiny filtering units inside the kidneys. This helps the kidney handle the extra fluid filtered each day.
– Filtering rate increases: The glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which measures how much fluid the kidney filters per minute, can increase by up to 75% in the solitary kidney. A higher GFR allows more blood to be filtered.
– Hormones increase: The kidney releases more renin, angiotensin, aldosterone, and erythropoietin to help control blood pressure, retain key electrolytes, and boost red blood cell production.
– Structural changes: With the loss of its pair, the ureter – the tube carrying urine from the kidney to the bladder – expands to accept more urine flow from the one kidney.
So in summary, the remaining kidney structurally and functionally adapts to take on the workload of two kidneys. These adaptations help maintain normal kidney function.
Risks of Living With One Kidney
Although people can live healthy lives with one kidney, some risks need to be considered:
– Chronic kidney disease: Having one kidney can accelerate damage and loss of function in the remaining kidney from conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes. Regular screening is key.
– Kidney failure: If the solitary kidney fails entirely, kidney failure results. Dialysis or transplant is needed to sustain life.
– Kidney infection: Increased fluid filtering raises the risk of kidney infection. Prompt antibiotic treatment of any infections is important.
– Kidney injury: Trauma, certain drugs, or other kidney injury can lead to serious outcomes when only one kidney exists. Preventative care is a priority.
– High blood pressure: Risk of high blood pressure increases due to elevated hormone levels. Blood pressure control is crucial.
– Increased surgical risk: Risks with surgery and anesthesia may increase with only one kidney. Precautions need to be taken.
So in conclusion, protective lifestyle habits, close medical monitoring, and prompt treatment of any issues are key for preserving the solitary kidney.
Who May Choose to Live With One Kidney
There are several groups of people who may end up living with just one kidney:
– Living kidney donors: Healthy adults can choose to donate one kidney to a person in need of transplant. Donors undergo extensive testing to ensure suitability.
– Born with one kidney: Renal agenesis where only one kidney develops affects about 1 in 1000 people. The solitary kidney usually works fine.
– Trauma/cancer loss: Severe physical kidney trauma or kidney cancer may require removal of one damaged kidney.
– Diseased kidney removal: Serious kidney infections, blockages, or other disease may warrant removal of one severely affected kidney.
– Poor kidney function: Some people are born with two kidneys that don’t function well or develop kidney failure. Removing one dysfunctional kidney may preserve some function.
So in summary, living kidney donors, those born with one kidney, and those who lose kidney function from injury, disease, or poor health may adapt well to life with one kidney.
Considerations for Potential Living Kidney Donors
Living kidney donation is a noble choice to save another person’s life. Still, potential living donors should carefully weigh the decision:
– Extensive testing of your kidneys, heart, and overall health will be done to confirm you are healthy enough to donate safely.
– You may need to adjust medications you take to protect your one remaining kidney.
– Aches, pains, and fatigue after surgery may take weeks or months to fully resolve. Plan for sufficient recovery time.
– While very low risk, any surgery has risks such as infection, bleeding, or even death.
– Your lifestyle may need some adjustments to protect your kidney such as staying hydrated, avoiding contact sports, and wearing protective gear during activities.
– Annual checkups to monitor kidney health will be needed for the rest of your life.
– Pregnancy may pose extra strain on the solitary kidney, requiring special prenatal monitoring.
So living kidney donation is safe when guidelines are followed, but does require lifestyle changes and long-term follow up care. Thorough counseling on risks is provided before donating.
Long-Term Outcomes for Those With One Kidney
For most people born with a single kidney or who donate a kidney, outcomes are generally good:
– Normal kidney function is often maintained lifelong with one healthy kidney.
– Risk of end stage kidney disease is very low except in those with co-existing conditions like diabetes or hypertension.
– Lifespan is typically unaffected by living with one kidney alone.
– Quality of life, ability to work, and participation in activities is mostly normal with preventive habits.
– Women with one kidney can usually have healthy pregnancies when well-monitored.
– Risk of problems is higher in those with a medical condition affecting the solitary kidney.
So having one healthy kidney from birth or donation often leads to normal health and longevity with prudent follow up care. Close monitoring for any changes is key.
When Kidney Function Declines
If the remaining kidney function declines substantially over years, some complications can arise:
– Waste buildup in the blood, fluid retention, and electrolyte imbalances.
– High blood pressure may become difficult to control.
– Anemia from declining erythropoietin production.
– Bone disease from low vitamin D activation.
– Nerve damage if waste levels get very high.
– Eventually kidney failure, requiring dialysis or transplant to live.
So if the glomerular filtration rate falls below 15-20 mL/min, complications of poor kidney function develop. At this stage, close work with a kidney specialist is needed.
Kidney Transplants if Kidney Failure Occurs
For the few people who eventually develop complete kidney failure with one kidney, a transplant can restore function:
– A kidney from a living or deceased donor is surgically placed in the pelvis.
– Anti-rejection drugs are needed lifelong to prevent organ rejection.
– Transplants from living relatives have the best success rates.
– With a well-matched new kidney, normal activities can often be resumed.
– Transplants may last 10-20 years but sometimes fail over time.
So a kidney transplant can return quality of life in someone who loses their solitary kidney from disease. Transplants do carry risks of rejection and complications from anti-rejection medications.
Conclusion
In conclusion, living with one healthy kidney is often possible with minimal health impacts. People born with a single kidney or who donate one kidney can live normal lifespans when protective steps are taken. However, the remaining kidney needs vigilant monitoring and care. With advancing kidney disease or failure of the sole kidney, dialysis and transplant may eventually be required. Through conscientious testing and follow up care, most people adapt well to life with one kidney.
