Your body has charged particles known as electrolytes. Examples of electrolytes include calcium, magnesium, sodium and phosphorus. These electrolytes are responsible for maintaining fluid balance in the body, and their electrical charge helps produce energy in the body.

Your kidneys serve a vital role in removing waste and excess fluid from your body through urination. Sometimes one of the kidneys becomes swollen. A swollen kidney is generally due to a serious disorder that requires medical attention.

Kidney disease is caused by many different conditions that damage the kidneys and reduce kidney function. Approximately one in nine Americans has been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

Healthy kidneys prevent proteins in the blood stream from spilling into the urine. This is why doctors often first suspect kidney disease when a patient presents with elevated urine protein, or proteinuria. Proteinuria often occurs when the kidneys become inflamed or diseased.

Albumin deficiency, or hypoalbuminemia, is an abnormally low level of the protein albumin in the blood. You might have it tested as part of a standard panel of liver function tests. The normal range for albumin is 3.5 to 4.5 mg/dL. If your albumin level is less than 3.5 mg/dL, it is considered low.

Creatinine is a waste product from normal muscle metabolism. It is easily filtered out of the blood by well-functioning kidneys and levels typically remain relatively stable in the body and bloodstream over time. Creatinine is often included in routine laboratory testing to evaluate kidney function.

Scarring of the kidneys is often presumed when there is persistent elevated urine protein, or serum creatinine. However, doctors are often unable to tell the cause of the scarring unless a biopsy is performed.

Creatinine is included in most routine lab work because it is the most reliable indicator of kidney health. Kidney patients should know what creatinine is, how it is measured and what their creatinine values mean. Many patients find it helpful to maintain a spreadsheet of their creatinine levels.

Although the kidneys occupy a protected area toward the back of the abdomen, these vital organs remain subject to traumatic injury. Motor vehicle accidents, falls, and other high-force trauma to the abdomen or back can cause kidney injury.

When you have only one kidney -- which may be due to a birth defect, organ donation or surgical removal to treat injury or disease -- you will need to consume a healthy diet. This is a diet moderate in protein and low in sodium. It should include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, adequate fluid and low-fat foods.

When creatinine levels rise, this could signal a problem with kidney function. Creatinine -- a waste product of muscle activity found in the blood -- is removed from the body via the urine after the kidneys filter it out of the blood.

Your body needs magnesium to regulate a variety of biochemical reactions. The kidneys help your body get rid of waste products and regulate magnesium levels by determining how much magnesium to excrete in your urine. The function of the kidneys determines how much magnesium the body needs.