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Mar 18, 2024 · This usually takes 25 years or more to happen. The loss in kidney function is usually mild, and life span is not impacted. Most people with one kidney live healthy, normal lives with few problems. In other words, one healthy kidney can work as well as two. There may be a chance of having high blood pressure.
- Overview
- What is it like to live with one kidney instead of two?
- Are there any short- or long-term problems associated with living with one kidney?
- Should you follow a special diet?
- Can you drink alcohol with only one kidney?
- Will you need dialysis?
- How often should I see a doctor?
- What about a kidney transplant?
- The takeaway
Although most people have two kidneys, you only need one functioning kidney to live an active, healthy life. You may need to take some precautions to avoid injury to your kidney.
If you have only one kidney, it’s important to protect it and keep it functioning well because you don’t have a second one to take over if it fails.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by eating a nutritious diet, exercising regularly, and getting regular checkups with your doctor helps keep your kidney healthy.
Keep reading to learn more about living with one kidney.
Your kidneys filter out waste and extra fluid from your blood so it can be excreted from your body in your urine.
One kidney can filter enough blood to keep your body functioning normally. This is why you can survive and be healthy with only one kidney.
The recommendations for healthy living if you have only one kidney are basically the same for people with two kidneys. They include:
•eating a healthy diet
•exercising regularly
•maintaining a healthy weight
Your kidneys play a role in maintaining fluid balance in your body, keeping protein in your blood, and controlling your blood pressure.
If your kidneys stop working, you may:
•develop high blood pressure (hypertension)
•lose protein in your urine (proteinuria)
•retain fluid
Most people with a single kidney live a normal life without developing any long- or short-term problems.
Most people with a single kidney don’t need to follow a special diet, but like people with two kidneys, you should eat a healthy balanced diet.
Staying normally hydrated and drinking when thirsty is better than overhydration or dehydration.
If you have a single kidney because you had a transplant or if you have kidney disease, you may need to limit the amount of sodium, phosphorous, and protein in your diet. This is because your kidney can’t remove them from your blood very well, so they build up.
You may also have to limit the amount of fluids you drink.
Many of your body’s organs are affected by alcohol including your kidneys. Drinking in moderation (one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men) usually won’t harm your kidneys.
Alcohol increases the amount of urine you produce but reduces your kidney’s ability to filter blood. This disrupts the fluid and electrolyte balance in your body, and you become dehydrated.
Without enough fluid in your body, the cells in your organs, including your kidneys, can’t function properly. Eventually it may cause permanent damage.
Your liver is also important for maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance. Liver damage from excessive alcohol interferes with this balance, making it even harder for your kidneys to work correctly.
The risk of kidney damage is even higher for heavy drinkers who also smoke.
Alcohol has this effect whether you have one or two kidneys, but it may lead to kidney failure more quickly when you only have one functioning kidney.
Dialysis performs the function of your kidney by filtering your blood and removing waste and extra fluid. It’s only done when you’ve temporarily or permanently lost most or all of your kidney function.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, dialysis should be started only if your kidneys have lost 85 to 90 percent of their function. Since you usually have nearly normal kidney function when you have one kidney, you won’t need dialysis unless your kidney fails.
You should see your healthcare provider at least once a year to evaluate your single kidney. If a problem develops, you should be checked more often.
Two tests are used to evaluate your kidney function:
•The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) indicates how well your kidneys are filtering blood. It’s calculated using the creatinine level in your blood.
•The amount of protein in your urine is measured to determine if the filters in your kidney are damaged and leaky. High levels of protein in your urine is a sign of kidney dysfunction.
Your blood pressure also must be measured.
High blood pressure can be a sign of kidney dysfunction. It can also damage the blood vessels in your kidney, which can make kidney dysfunction worse.
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Health, almost 200,000 people in the United States have a functioning transplanted kidney.
A kidney transplant is only done when you have no functioning kidneys. The risks of the procedure and side effects of the medications you’ll need for the rest of your life outweigh the small increase in function you get from a second kidney.
If your solitary kidney gets injured or sick and stops working, you might be eligible for a transplant.
No matter how many kidneys you started with, you only receive one kidney in a transplant. The transplanted kidney usually gets bigger and works harder over time. Eventually, your transplanted kidney will function almost as well as two kidneys.
Most people with a single kidney lead normal, healthy lives. Whether you have one kidney or two, a healthy lifestyle is important to keep them functioning well.
This includes eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol, staying hydrated, and seeing your healthcare provider at least once a year.
Oct 19, 2023 · As mentioned before, it is possible to live without one kidney, but the removal or loss of both kidneys is a much more deadly situation. When your kidneys stop working, your blood will quickly fill with toxins, which can result in damage to many other organs and impaired functionality. Someone with failed kidneys will require dialysis to survive.
- 3 min
Nov 11, 2024 · It is possible to live with only one kidney. You may have only one kidney due to an anatomic difference present at birth, a severe kidney injury, cancer, or kidney donation. Having only one kidney instead of two is risky because if your single kidney starts to fail, it could cause serious health problems, which can be fatal.
They are located under the ribs, near the middle of your back. Each kidney is about the size of your fist and weighs around 150 grams. Around 1 in every 750 people is born with a single kidney. This is called renal agenesis. It is more common in males, and the left kidney is more likely to be missing. Sometimes a kidney is removed because there ...
Mar 6, 2024 · There are three main reasons why you may have one kidney. You are born with just one kidney. Renal agenesis, or having a single kidney, can be picked up on an antenatal ultrasound scan, but a lot of people are unaware they have the condition and it’s diagnosed later in life during a routine scan or X-ray. Around 1 in 1,000 to 2,000 babies are ...
People also ask
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Kidney Foundation - The Kidney Foundation of Canada. Living with One Kidney. Share this. Individuals who have only one normal (solitary) kidney – because they donate or are born with one kidney, or through an accident or disease (e.g., tumor, obstruction) – frequently express concern as to the future effects of not having two of these organs.
