‘Kidney Hypertrophy’ is the general term for compensatory hypertrophy and it is a constructive phenomenon that takes place inside the kidney of the affected individual (yes, just one kidney to be precise!) where there is a noticeable increase in the overall bulk of the kidney mainly due to magnification in cell volume but not the numerical increase nor this can be attributed to tumor formation – Just the growth in volume and mass of that particular hypertrophied kidney.

“In case of hypertrophied kidney or during the onset of kidney hypertrophy, the only available or functional kidney can adjust and adapt to work as a pair of kidneys by increasing the size of nephrons to handle the additional load. Hypertrophied kidney or enlarged kidney does not cause any adverse effects on the overall health of the individual, it’s the body’s natural way of adapting to the missing functionality,” mentioned Dr. Ali Mehdi Zadeh, Consultant Urologist and Head of Kuwaiti German Urology Unit, Kuwait.

He further adds “Compensatory hypertrophy (of the kidney) also occur when the other kidney is still inside the body, but in a defective or non-functional state or even when the affected individual is born with just one kidney which is widely known as ‘congenital absence of one kidney’. The development of the hypertrophied kidney is so complete and absolute is that it matures or transforms itself into a kidney that if double in size and weight of the two normal kidneys combined together. “

“Apart from compensatory hypertrophy, the other factors that may result in enlargement of one or both kidneys are ageing, diabetes and other kind of medical complications like adverse drug reactions, long-term illness and injuries,” concluded Dr. Ali Mehdi Zadeh.

— Dr. Ali Mehdi Zadeh, Consultant Urologist and Head of Kuwaiti German Urology Unit, CEO & Partner at Kuwait Medical International Company.

د. علي مهدي زادة

الوحدة الكويتية الالمانية لجراحة الكلى و المسالك البولية و التناسلية

عيادة الدكتور على مهدي زاده

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