Kidney and urinary health Archive

Urine that is sometimes dark or pungent can reflect dehydration, diet, or something more. Learn which clues signal a need for testing.

When damaged kidneys can&rsquot clear extra potassium, everyday staples like potatoes, beans, and juice may strain the heart. Learn which foods are risky.

Everyday staples like potatoes, beans, or juice can quietly add too much potassium to the diet of someone who's been told to limit their intake. Learn which other foods to limit.

People can adopt several strategies to keep their kidneys healthy, such as managing blood pressure, controlling blood sugar levels, watching salt intake, avoiding alcohol, staying hydrated, and exercising regularly.

A urine test, also known as a urinalysis, can reveal a great deal about a person's health. The kidneys produce urine to remove excess fluid and waste products from the body. But urine also contains various chemicals, minerals, toxins, bacteria, and red and white blood cells. Analyzing a urine sample with visual, chemical, and microscopic exams can reveal the presence and amounts of these substances, which can provide clues to specific conditions.

The surge in heat waves and extreme heat poses serious health risks for everyone but is a particular worry for older adults. What can you do to manage heat-related risks, especially if you have existing health conditions or take certain medications?

Kidney stones are increasingly common among Americans. Made of minerals and acid salts in the urine, the hard deposits cause symptoms when they get stuck in the ureter, the tube that leads to the bladder. Symptoms include excruciating pain, blood in the urine, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. Risk factors for kidney stones include low fluid intake, family history, pregnancy, obesity, high blood pressure, gastric bypass surgery, and eating foods high in salt or sugar. Most kidney stones pass on their own, but treatments can retrieve or destroy the stones.