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Show 'HEALTH ADVICE By Morris Rshbein Editor, Journal ee tke America Medical Med-ical Ayeetetiee Sometimes people art born with kidneys that are not shaped Ilka ordinary kidneys or which differ In other ways from the norma L They may have the two kidneys Joined Jogetherjn the shape of what la called a "horseshoe'' kidney. kid-ney. They may have a kidney which is full of cavities containing fluid, known aa cystic kidney. About one in 1800 peraona may be born with only one kidney. Moreover, the tubea which pass from the kidneya to the bladder may be abnormal. There may be only one auch tube passing from one kidney, the other kidney not having any, or there may be two tubea passing from one kidney. Ordinarily, people with abnormalities abnor-malities of the kidneys do not know about them until they begin be-gin to have trouble. In many instances in-stances when there is only one kidney it will do the work of both satisfactorily unless an infection arises. If this develops in the one kld-. kld-. ney, the danger to life is obviously ' great. It la therefore of the great-eat great-eat Importance for the doctor to know as soon as possible In such cases exactly what the situation Is. This he finds out principally by the use of the X-ray. It is possible pos-sible to Inject fluids Into the body and then to take an X-ray picture which will show quite definitely the shape, size and other struc-tural struc-tural conditions In the kidneys. It is possible to pass wires up throutrh the bladder into the kidneys. kid-neys. Until the doctor knows that there are two kidneys present in the patient he is hardly likely to undertake an operation for the removal of one. From time Jo time individuals, women particularly, have complained com-plained of suffering which Is said to be associated with a floating kidney that is to say, the kidney may move up and down and actually ac-tually get out into the abdomen. If the function is satisfactory, thre will be no aymptoms. Sometimes, however, kinking of the tube which passes from the kidney to the bladder will occur. In such cases there may be severe se-vere pain, which is sometimes mistaken for that of appendicitis. In these casea the kidney may be caused to remain in place sometimes some-times by the use of abdominal belts, sometimes bv rest in bed with a diet ao nutritious that extra ex-tra fat will form, this fat having the ability to hold the kidney in place. In case all of these measures fail, It Is customary to do a surgical surgi-cal ooeration so that the kidney mav be fastened where it belongs. Sometimes large cavities or cysts form in kidneys. Fluid may collect in these cysts so that the entire kidney swells and the pressure of the fluid actually may damage the kidney tissue. In auch casea it may be necessary to do a surgical operation to relieve the pressure and thus to aid the kidney kid-ney to perform its functions. |