20 interesting facts about the kidneys : World Kidney Day

1. Kidneys are very important   and   fundamental organs of human body.  They are extremely complex in mechanism and they have two functions  that is blood purification and  waste elimination.
2. An adult kidney weighs around  142 grams and  is the size of  human fist.
3. In case of new born human babies, the kidney to body weight ratio is 3 times the kidney to body weight ratio in adults. In case of adults, kidneys form only 0.5% of the entire body weight.
4. Largest kidney stone recorded was of coconut size and weighed 1.1 kg.
5. If a child is borne without a kidney, the one kidney will grow and weigh the same as of two kidneys.
6. The right kidney is below the liver ( largest organ ) and smaller than left kidney.
7. There are 1.1 million nephrons ( very tiny filters that are capable of filtering blood) in the body. If stretched end to end,  they  will be 8 KM long.
8. Kidney filter blood around 400 times a day.
9. If kidney detect fall in Blood pressure, they signal blood vessels to shrink.
10. A single kidney with only 75 % of its functional capacity can sustain life very well.
11. They are capable of activating vitamin D in our body. This vitamin is usually produced by special skin cells when they are exposed to sunlight.
12. Kidneys cleanse 1.3 liters of blood every minute to produce about the same quantity  of urine in a day.
13. Most common cause of renal stones is not drinking enough water.
14. About 25 % of the blood from heart, goes to kidneys.
15. High BP and diabetes can both lead to failure of kidneys.
16. When the kidney functions are completely lost, it is known as ESRD or End Stage Renal Disease.
17. People suffering with ESRD can live longer with help of kidney transplant or dialysis.
18. The first ever kidney transplant was conducted by Yuri Voronoy, a Russian surgeon in year 1933, but was unsuccessful.
19. The first ever successful kidney transplant was conducted by Dr. Joseph E. Murray in December 1954, in Massachusetts at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital.
20. A kidney transplant would be normally put in pelvis and  disabled kidney will not be extracted.

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