What Is the Meaning of Nephrology?

Nephrology encompasses a wide array of kidney-related studies, with the ultimate goal of advancing renal healthcare for everyone.

The continuously growing knowledge about our kidneys has paved the way to new subdisciplines of internal medicine such as preventive and geriatric nephrology.

Definition

• The term nephrology comes from a combination of the Greek word nephros "kidney" and the suffix "-ology" -- "the study or science of." Nephrology, as stated in the "Facts and Statistics" page of the American Society of Nephrology, "is the medical subspecialty that deals with the kidneys, especially their functions and diseases."

Significance

• Nephrology focuses on the anatomy and physiology of the nephrons, which are the functional units of your kidneys. Technically speaking, the nephrons or renal tubules are the urine-forming units of your kidneys. Through the nephrons, you are able to filter your blood and excrete nitrogen-containing compounds (in the form of urine), which are harmful if left accumulating in your body. Furthermore, the application of kidney-related researches to improve health management is at the center of nephrology.

History

• The first scientific study related to nephrology, as stated at the 2009 Encyclopedia Britannica Online, "was made by Lorenzo Bellini." Dr. Bellini is an Italian physician who studied the structure of kidneys, particularly, the tubules or ducts that was named after him, the Bellini ducts. This discovery ignited further studies about kidney structures, functions and disorders.

Subdisciplines

• Nephrology is an interdisciplinary study that paved way to various subdisciplines including general, pediatric, geriatric, and preventive nephrology, among others. All of these subdisciplines emerged from the need to study the kidneys in conjunction with other branches of internal medicine. For instance, pediatric nephrology, which deals with the kidney structure, and diseases of infants, children and adolescents, was developed from two branch of internal medicine---nephrology and pediatrics.

Trends

• The use of artificial kidneys is not new, in fact, its first application to human dates back to 1943 when Dr. Willem Kolff implanted a "drum apparatus," which mimics the function of the kidneys to one of his patients. This apparatus paved the way to the process of dialysis and, eventually, to home dialysis kits, which made the process of blood filtering available for home use via portable machines.

  As of early 2000's, nephrologists (experts in nephrology) rely on evidence-based treatments---that are based on early kidney researches---specific to each patient. For instance, if you are suffering from a kidney disease and are at risk for diabetes, your physician will design a diet and a therapeutic regimen specific for your conditions. Moreover, health organizations such as The National Kidney Foundation encourage screening tests for early detection of kidney related diseases.