Kidney disease

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Kidney diseases, or renal diseases, technically referred to as nephropathies, are pathological conditions affecting the kidneys—the organs that facilitate removal of waste products and toxins from the bloodstream, regulate the body's concentration of electrolytes, maintain the appropriate acid-base balance of plasma, and produce urine as a byproduct of metabolism. When used colloquially, the term kidney disease may refer to chronic kidney disease (CKD), an umbrella term for any progressive loss of kidney function over at least three months, from any cause. In contrast, kidney damage over a shorter period of time is known as acute kidney injury. From a technical standpoint, the heterogenous group of kidney diseases can be broadly divided into categories based on which anatomical structures are involved: the glomeruli, the filtering capillaries of the kidney; tubules, which carry filtered blood; the renal interstitium, the fluid-filled space between these structures; and the renal blood vessels...

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