A 17-year-old girl had back pain and was found to have 4 kidneys

Xiaolin (pseudonym) is a 17-year-old high school girl. She has been healthy since childhood and her family has not noticed any difference between her and other children. About a month ago, Xiaolin inexplicably began to experience lower back pain, which was sore, swollen and painful, and the pain spread to her entire waist and abdomen. Because she happened to have her period, Xiaolin thought it was a normal reaction to her period. However, after her period was over, the symptoms of back pain did not improve at all, but became more severe. Moreover, the careful Xiao Lin also discovered that she would feel a little better after each urination, but the pain would soon return to the previous level. It's not the pain of "period", could it be kidney stones? Xiaolin's parents were puzzled and hurriedly took the child to the local hospital to find out the cause. After an ultrasound examination, the result shocked everyone present. Xiaolin actually had 4 kidneys, with two kidneys on each side tightly stacked together like a pair of twins.

The doctor told Xiaolin's parents that Xiaolin's left duplicated kidney had developed severe hydronephrosis and the left ureter had also dilated. This was the cause of Xiaolin's long-term low back pain. If not treated in time, it would lead to repeated urinary system infections. The local hospital doctor thought the problem was quite serious and suggested that she go to Hangzhou for treatment.

The two kidneys are adhered, and removing one will affect the normal kidney. Later, Xiaolin followed the doctor's advice and was transferred to Hangzhou Third People's Hospital for treatment. Zhou Peng, deputy chief physician of the hospital's urology department, gave Xiaolin another detailed examination. The results of a routine urine test showed an increase in urine protein. After angiography, it was confirmed that Xiaolin really had 4 kidneys, but they were slightly smaller than those of ordinary people.

The cause of the back pain was found and the operation was successfully completed, but Xiaolin's special body structure brought her a series of doubts. Why does he have four kidneys, unlike ordinary people? Are the extra kidneys useful? Can they be donated to save other people's lives? The reporter asked Zhou Peng these questions.

Zhou Peng said that normal people usually have only two kidneys. The extra kidney is medically called duplicate kidney malformation, which is often combined with duplicate ureteral malformation. It is a common congenital malformation of the urinary system with an incidence rate of about

1/1500, "This disease is different from polycystic kidney disease. It is caused by chromosomal abnormalities and occurs in the womb. It has little to do with genetics, and there are no abnormalities in other organs in the girl's body." It was later confirmed that no one in Xiaolin's family suffered from this disease.

During Zhou Peng's medical career, he has encountered four such cases. "The youngest was 4 years old. He was admitted to the hospital for urinary tract infection. After examination, he underwent reimplantation surgery and retained his kidney. The oldest was a 60-year-old aunt, who had the infected kidney removed." Zhou Peng said that the patients who showed symptoms mostly had their ureters connected in the wrong position. Some female patients had their ureters opening in the vagina, while some male patients had their ureters opening in the prostate. Difficult urination led to hydronephrosis infection.

In addition, Dr. Zhou Peng said that even for those who have been found to have duplicated kidneys, 60%-65% of them only need follow-up observation. If they do not have symptoms such as recurrent urinary tract infections or low back pain, no special treatment is required. Most duplicate kidneys are fused together and cannot be separated. Therefore, although these people have more kidneys than the average person, their functions are not much different from those of people with two kidneys.