The kidneys are a pair of organs located on either side of the abdomen that remove waste products from the blood and produce urine. Among other functions, the kidneys:

• Remove toxins from the blood and send the cleansed blood back to the bloodstream
  
  
• Regulate concentration of acids
  
  
• Help maintain water balance in the body
  
  
• Create hormones that regulate blood pressure and formation of red blood cells

The prime function of the kidneys is waste removal. As blood flows into the kidneys, these organs filter waste products, chemicals and excess water. All of this collects as urine in the middle of the kidney in an area called the renal pelvis. The urine in the renal pelvis drains from each kidney through a long tube (called the ureter) and into the bladder, where it is stored until released through urination.

The American Heart Association estimates that up to 11 percent of Americans have impaired renal function. Diabetes can severely damage the kidneys’ ability to function. It is the chief cause of nephropathy, a gradual deterioration of the kidneys leading to chronic kidney failure, in the United States.

Patients who experience end-stage renal disease need to undergo either a kidney transplant or dialysis, which is an artificial method of filtering wastes. People with diabetes can prevent damage to their kidneys, or keep damage from progressing, by carefully monitoring their glucose (blood sugar), blood pressure and cholesterol and keeping them within the normal range.