Most people have two kidneys, and kidney failure is a serious and dangerous disease. It is possible to live with only one kidney. You may have only one kidney due to an anatomical difference present at birth, severe kidney injury, cancer, or kidney donation.

Having just one kidney instead of two is risky because if your one kidney starts to fail, it could cause serious health problems, which can be fatal.

How people live with one kidney instead of two

your kidneysLocated in the lower back, it removes waste and toxins from the blood and eliminates them in the urine you produce. In addition to removing waste material, the kidneys also maintain a tight balance of minerals and fluids in the body.

As blood flows through the renal tubules (small vessels in the kidneys), your body regulates the proper concentration of fluid, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and the pH (acid/base ratio) of the blood. Any alteration of this balance can cause serious health consequences, or even death.

If you only have one healthy kidney instead of two, your one healthy kidney can effectively remove waste material from your body and balance your fluids, minerals, and pH.

Short and long term effects of having a kidney

You can survive with only one kidney, but having only one kidney increases the risk that kidney disease will affect the remaining kidney. Health consequences may occur if you have only one kidney and already have or later develop kidney disease in that kidney.

If one or both kidneys are not functioning as they should, you can develop mineral imbalances and a buildup of toxins in your body, which can cause short- and long-term damage to your health. Kidney failure that worsens rapidly can cause a sudden deterioration in your health and a high risk of death.

Symptoms of kidney disease include:

• Blurred vision
• Cardiac arrest (heart stops beating)
• Constipation or diarrhea
• difficulty concentrating
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• myocardial infarction
• Muscle aches and pains
• Nausea, vomiting
• palpitations (racing or pounding heart)
• faint
• Seizures

These effects of kidney disease occur due to an alteration of the body’s minerals, pH, and fluids. Typically, mild or gradual imbalances can cause subtle changes, such as fatigue, muscle aches, or dizziness. Rapid changes can cause more serious effects, such as seizures or cardiac arrest.

Kidney disease also causes anemia, which is a low red blood cell count or function.. Symptoms include fatigue, feeling cold, pale skin, dizziness and palpitations.

How to support kidney health and remaining kidney

If you have kidney disease, you need to make some adjustments to your health and lifestyle. Maintaining healthy blood pressure is crucial for the survival of the remaining kidney. Additionally, it is essential to avoid smoking and drinking alcohol if you only have one kidney.

Kidney failure can make certain nutrients, foods, and medications toxic to your body, even if they would otherwise be healthy for you. You may also have to follow some dietary restrictionslike the need for reduce sodium (found in salt). In some stages of kidney failure, proteins may be restricted as the kidneys process their breakdown components.

People with severe kidney failure often need treatment with dialysiswhich is a process by which blood is filtered through a machine to eliminate waste and toxins. Dialysis, in some ways, replaces kidney function, but it is still not as efficient or effective as healthy kidneys.

Reasons to have a kidney

There are several reasons for having a kidney and the most common reason is advanced kidney disease or cancer that requires nephrectomy (surgical removal of a kidney). Other reasons include a traumatic injury to a kidney or kidney donation. Less commonly, a baby may be born with only one kidney.

Causes of having only one kidney include:

• Cancer
• traumatic injury
• Congenital (a baby born with only one kidney)
• Donate a kidney

Results associated with the cause

Your survival and overall health with one kidney is in many ways related to why you only have one kidney. For example, if you are a kidney donor, this generally means that your kidneys are healthy because pretesting is a typical part of the evaluation to see if you qualify to be a kidney donor. If you have suffered a traumatic injury to one kidney, the other kidney may be healthy.

Sometimes cancer is found at a very early stage and you may have a nephrectomy of one kidney to treat the cancer while the other kidney is not affected.

If you only have one kidney due to a health problem, such as advanced cancer or kidney disease, the other kidney may have been damaged by the effects of that same disease.

Some diseases, such as diabetes, affect both kidneys. Similarly, toxicity from exposure to chemicals or medications could affect both kidneys. If you have had one kidney more severely damaged by disease or exposure to medications, then the other kidney may be partially damaged. This can affect your overall health and survival prospects.

There is no single answer to how long you will live with one kidney because your survival depends on the health of the remaining kidney as well as your overall health.

When to see a healthcare provider

If you have kidney disease, it is important to follow up regularly with a healthcare provider. You must attend your scheduled appointments and will need Continuous monitoring of your kidney function.. You should also be sure to get medical attention for any new or worsening signs or symptoms of kidney disease.

Make an appointment if you have new or worsening symptoms:

• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• muscle pain
• palpitations

Some symptoms and effects of kidney disease require urgent medical attention because they could cause permanent damage to your health or even lead to death.

Symptoms that require immediate medical attention include:

• Change of consciousness
• Chest pain
• Confusion
• Seizures
• Difficulty breathing

Symptoms could indicate sudden, extreme changes in your body’s mineral concentration or pH.

Summary

Living with only one kidney is possible, but it increases the risk of serious health problems and death if the remaining kidney is not healthy. There are many reasons to have only one kidney, and if you only have one kidney due to a health problem, the remaining kidney is likely not healthy either.

Having a diseased kidney that is not working properly requires medical attention, and eventually you may need to start dialysis. Additionally, you can survive with one kidney if you want to donate a kidney, but you will need prior testing to make sure both kidneys are healthy.