Kidney & Bladder Problems

Antibiotics are still better than probiotics at preventing urinary tract infections, a new study concludes - but at a cost of some antibiotic resistance.

Overview

Kidney failure is a potentially life-threatening disease. Also called renal failure, it is a condition in which the kidneys lose their ability to function properly. This deterioration of renal function can be sudden or it can develop over a period of time.

To understand the implications of renal failure you need to keep the basic functions of the kidney in mind; namely to remove excess fluid and waste, to maintain the chemical balance of the body and to produce certain important hormones and enzymes.

Therefore kidney failure can lead to an overload of fluid in the body, that adds to the workload of the heart, raises blood pressure and could lead to heart failure. In this centre, other kidney and bladder problems that are less serious are also discussed.