Can You Survive with Only One Kidney?

One of the most likely question asked regarding kidney is that can you survive with only one kidney? And the answer is Yes! You can definitely survive with only one kidney. Only one kidney is enough for a lifetime and you can live a normal healthy life just by having a single kidney.

When one of your kidneys is removed the remaining kidney takes on or does the work of both the kidneys. Certain changes also take place in the remaining kidney so that it can maintain homeostasis. There is no change in the number of nephrons but there is a change in glomerular filtration rate. There is an increase in glomerular filtration rate of each individual nephron so that it can carry out the function of both kidneys. Thus no lifetime changes are seen in the people with one kidney.

The people born with one kidney and those who donate a kidney for transplantation can also lead a normal healthy life. But the point is that the remaining kidney must be healthy and functional. As long as the kidney is healthy and functional there are no complications and having one kidney does not affect your survival at all. Thus you can survive as long as others by having only one kidney.

You are able to live a normal life even when the remaining kidney is functioning sub-optimally. Even if you don't have both the kidneys you can still survive with the help of dialysis. Also in the case where 90 percent of kidney function has been lost or the kidney is damaged dialysis is required. Dialysis uses a special machine that does the blood-cleaning function of healthy kidneys. When a person is left out with only one kidney and also if a part of it needs to be removed then there is 4 - 7% risk of permanent dialysis and 3 - 4% risk of temporary dialysis. And 26-33% of the cases don't require any dialysis.

Now let's try to understand how are we able survive with the help of only one kidney. When both of your kidneys are functioning properly, you have 100 percent of your renal function. This renal function is more than required and therefore small declines in it don't cause any problem. If renal function is less than 25 percent you may face serious health problems and if it drops below 15 percent you can't live without dialysis or transplantation.

But, when you are left with only one kidney there are certain precautions to be taken. You should take proper care of the remaining kidney. First thing to do is to avoid anything that could harm the kidney. And the most important thing is that don't allow the formation of kidney stones. You can follow all possible ways of preventing the formation of stones. There are some natural remedies that may help you in preventing kidney stones. You can consult your dietitian if you want any help regarding diet to be taken. A low salt diet may help you in preventing stone formation. Also prevent urinary tract infection.

Before starting off with any new medications it is important to talk with your doctor regarding the infections or other problems that you have. Maintain a healthy lifestyle and check diabetes and blood pressure levels periodically. Keep your blood pressure under control. Thus by taking the above precautions you can survive with only one kidney and lead a normal life.