A normal human has two kidneys, about the size of a fist, located on either side of the spine at the back of the waist, whose main function is to excrete excess water from the body, purify the blood by removing metabolic wastes and poisons including many drugs, and play an important role in blood pressure regulation, hematopoiesis and bone growth. Under normal conditions, the kidneys excrete a lot of waste and toxins while retaining the beneficial components well, so the urine contains a lot of toxins such as creatinine and uric acid and very few red blood cells and proteins, etc. This is the subtlety of the kidney function. However, when the kidneys have diseases, the excretion of toxins decreases, which makes toxins accumulate in the blood, and blood creatinine and uric acid, etc. rise, while protein and red blood cells in the urine leak more, leading to proteinuria and hematuria, and hypertension, anemia, bone diseases, muscle cramps, etc. can occur. In addition, some diseases can make the number, size and location of the kidneys change, such as having only one kidney (isolated kidney), enlarging or shrinking kidneys, and kidneys growing to other parts of the body. Do you know your own kidney condition? How many kidneys do you have? Is the position and size of your kidneys normal? How do your kidneys function? Is your blood pressure normal? Do you have proteinuria and hematuria? If you cannot answer the above questions clearly, please go to the hospital for a kidney health checkup as soon as possible to establish a kidney health record. Are you at risk of kidney disease? The risk of kidney disease increases significantly in certain conditions. The first is people with diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and a family history of kidney disease, which are the four main risk factors for kidney disease. The next are those with conditions such as: autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, urinary tract infections, kidney stones and urinary tract obstruction, hyperuricemia and gout, hyperlipidemia, viral hepatitis, tumors, stroke, isolated kidney, age greater than 60 years, obesity, long-term or repeated application of painkillers and antipyretics, some antibiotics and herbal medicines, contrast agents, and chemotherapeutic agents for tumors, a family history of diabetes or family history of hypertension, and birth weight less than 2.5 kg. If you have any of the above conditions, you are at high risk of kidney disease and should have regular kidney checkups and pay attention to kidney protection. Do you have kidney disease? If you have any of the following conditions, it is highly recommended to go to the hospital for a detailed kidney examination. For example, increased foam in urine, red or cloudy urine, edema of eyelids, face, legs and feet, frequent, urgent, painful urination and increased urination at night, back pain, high blood pressure, anemia, loss of energy, loss of appetite, and elevated blood uric acid. Pay attention to kidney health check Most kidney diseases do not have any uncomfortable symptoms in the early stage, so regular health check is the best way to detect kidney diseases in the early stage. General kidney examination mainly includes four items, blood pressure, urine routine, kidney function (measurement and calculation of blood creatinine and glomerular filtration rate) and kidney ultrasound. The judgment of kidney function cannot be based on blood creatinine alone, even if the blood creatinine value is within the normal range given by the laboratory test, the precise calculation of kidney function must be combined with each person’s age, gender, weight and other conditions, and these tasks need to be done by a nephrologist. In addition, for kidney disease caused by hypertension and diabetes, etc., some special urine tests such as microalbuminuria must be done to detect early lesions. Therefore, we recommend those who have the condition to have a health checkup every year or every two years, and each time must include the four tests of kidney and choose some special kidney tests according to the situation.