Kidney pain

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Female urinary system

Female urinary system

Your urinary system includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. The urinary system removes waste from the body through urine. The kidneys are located toward the back of the upper abdomen. They filter waste and fluid from the blood and produce urine. Urine moves from the kidneys through narrow tubes to the bladder. These tubes are called the ureters. The bladder stores urine until it's time to urinate. Urine leaves the body through another small tube called the urethra.

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Male urinary system

Male urinary system

Your urinary system includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. The urinary system removes waste from the body through urine. The kidneys are located toward the back of the upper abdomen. They filter waste and fluid from the blood and produce urine. Urine moves from the kidneys through narrow tubes to the bladder. These tubes are called the ureters. The bladder stores urine until it's time to urinate. Urine leaves the body through another small tube called the urethra.

Some health problems that affect a kidney can cause pain. You might feel kidney pain as a dull, one-sided ache in your upper stomach area, side or back. But pain in these areas often has other causes that aren't related to the kidneys.

The kidneys are a pair of small organs in the back of the stomach area under the lower ribs. One kidney is located on each side of the spine. It's more common to have kidney pain, also called renal pain, on just one side of the body. Fever and urinary symptoms often happen along with kidney pain.

• Causes