What are renal parenchyma diseases?

Also known as: kidney parenchymal disease, renal parenchyma of the kidney, bilateral renal parenchyma diseases.

To understand renal parenchyma diseases, it first helps to understand the kidneys and how they function in the body. These two bean-shaped organs are part of the body’s urinary system and reside in the back area of the abdomen. They serve a very important role, filtering blood, removing waste (which leaves the body as urine), and putting the other useful fluid back into circulation in the body.

The renal parenchyma is the functional part of the kidney that includes the renal cortex (the outermost part of the kidney) and the renal medulla.

• The renal cortex contains approximately 1 million nephrons (these have glomeruli which are the primary filterer of blood passing through the kidney, and renal tubules which modify the fluid to produce the appropriate amount/content of urine).
• The renal medulla consists primarily of tubules/ducts which are the beginning of the collecting system that allows the urine to flow onwards to being excreted.

Renal parenchyma disease describes medical conditions which damage these parts of the kidney. These diseases may be congenital, hereditary or acquired.

What causes renal parenchyma diseases?

Causes vary and include:

• Genetic conditions, like polycystic kidneys
• Hereditary conditions passed on from parents
• Bacterial and viral infections
• Kidney stones
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Autoimmune diseases like lupus nephritis or nephritis associated with purpura
• medications and others.

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM