Kidney Pain - Mayo Clinic

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Definition

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Female urinary system

Female urinary system

The urinary system includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. The urinary system removes waste from the body through urine. The kidneys sit toward the back of the upper abdomen. They filter waste and fluid from the blood and make urine. Urine moves from the kidneys to the bladder through narrow tubes called the ureters. The bladder stores urine until it's time to urinate. Urine leaves the body through a small tube called the urethra.

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Male urinary system

Male urinary system

The urinary system includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. The urinary system removes waste from the body through urine. The kidneys sit toward the back of the upper abdomen. They filter waste and fluid from the blood and make urine. Urine moves from the kidneys through narrow tubes to the bladder. These tubes are called the ureters. The bladder stores urine until it's time to urinate. Urine leaves the body through a small tube called the urethra.

Some health problems that affect a kidney can cause pain. You might feel kidney pain as a dull, one-sided ache in your upper stomach area, side or back. But pain in these areas often has other causes that aren't related to the kidneys.

The kidneys are a pair of small organs in the back of the stomach area under the lower ribs. One kidney is located on each side of the spine. It's more common to have kidney pain, also called renal pain, on just one side of the body. Fever and urinary symptoms often happen along with kidney pain.

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April 11, 2023 Show references

1. Kidney pain. American Kidney Fund. http://www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/kidney-problems/kidney-pain.html. Accessed Dec. 21, 2022.
2. Steinman TI, et al. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD): Pain syndromes. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Dec. 21, 2022.
3. Kidney infection (pyelonephritis). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/kidney-infection-pyelonephritis/symptoms-causes. Accessed Dec. 21, 2022.
4. Ferri FF. Urolithiasis (nephrolithiasis). In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2023. Elsevier; 2023. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Dec. 21, 2022.
5. Ferri FF. Renal cell carcinoma. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2023. Elsevier; 2023. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Dec. 21, 2022.
6. Ferri FF. Hydronephrosis. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2023. Elsevier; 2023. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Dec. 21, 2022.
7. Radhakrishnan, J. Renal vein thrombosis in adults. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Dec. 21, 2022.

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