In the month of March, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but also it’s the month that we spread awareness about all things of the kidneys. Your kidneys are located below the rib cage and are described to be shaped as beans, each one on either side of your spine. Kidneys are important because they remove waste and other fluids out of your body and they also remove acid that is produced by cells in the body. They can help maintain a healthy balance of water, salts, and minerals in your body. If the body didn’t have this balance then it would cause the body to not work properly. Kidneys can also help with controlling your blood pressure, making red blood cells, and keeping your bones strong. Your kidneys can also have something happen to them called kidney failure, which is when your kidney function drops by 15% of normal. Some of the symptoms of kidney failure, are swelling in legs/ankles, getting headaches, having muscle cramps, and feeling tired throughout the day. Also by having this, it can cause you to develop other problems like: high blood pressure, heart disease, and mineral and bone disorder.

Source: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/kidney-failure/what-is-kidney-failure