On August 29, 1990, "Shenyang Evening News" reported: Dong Xiangxin, deputy director of the Dongling District Agricultural Cooperative Bank Office in Shenyang City, was examined by the hospital and found to have four kidneys in his body. In addition to the normal two kidneys, he had two more kidneys growing above him. The four kidneys are the same size and shape, and the ureters of the upper two kidneys lead to the ureters of the lower two kidneys. Dong Xiangxin did not feel any different from the average person in terms of kidney function.
The kidneys, commonly known as "kidneys", are human urine-making organs. They are shaped like broad beans and are located in front of the posterior abdominal wall, one on each side. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the functions of the kidneys are to store essence, control water, control bones and generate marrow, control Qi, etc. This shows the importance of the kidneys.
People often find it strange to hear the news of "people with multiple kidneys". In fact, "people with multiple kidneys" are not uncommon. According to statistics from relevant foreign urology experts, among 51,880 autopsies, 94 people had only one kidney and 342 people had duplicate kidneys (ie, multiple kidneys). In other words, one in every 552 people has one kidney, and one in every 152 people has multiple kidneys. Why are these kidney deformities so little known? This is because the kidneys are inside the body, unlike ears, eyes, noses, etc., which are outside the body and can be seen at a glance. They are often discovered when they suffer from kidney disease and take X-rays or B-ultrasounds. Because they are deformed, most of them People don't want to show off. Although more people have malformed kidneys, they do not have kidney disease and even they do not know it.
What causes kidney malformations? Medical experts believe this is an extremely complex issue. During embryonic development, the original tissue of the kidney and the mother tissue of the ureter, a primordium, will gradually develop into a pair of kidneys and a pair of ureters. However, if the inherited gene is defective, errors are bound to occur. Sometimes two primordia appear, or one primordium splits into two, forming more than one pair of duplicate kidneys or more than one pair of duplicate ureters in the future. In addition to genetic factors, sometimes the mother's improper use of certain chemicals during pregnancy can also affect the development of the kidneys, causing the phenomenon of "adding insult to injury". In addition, factors such as maternal immune deficiency or certain viral infections can also cause kidney malformations.