Iron is an important nutrient that helps the hemoglobin in blood cells carry oxygen to the body's organs and tissues. Iron overload (hemochromatosis) is a disorder in which the body has too much iron build-up. This extra iron is stored in the joints and organs; if this process is not controlled, it can cause joint and organ damage and/or failure.
The intrahepatic biliary duct is a tube that is inside the liver and transports bile in the liver. Dilatation is the expansion or widening of the duct. Dilatation of the bile duct can be due to several causes including obstruction (blockage) of the bile duct, presence of a cyst or mass in the bile duct, benign (non-cancerous) strictures or infection. Symptoms, if present, could include right upper quadrant pain and/or jaundice.
Kidney atrophy means that the kidney is smaller than normal. A greater decrease in kidney size, especially for both kidneys, can lead to kidney failure. Atrophy of one kidney may elicit compensatory hypertrophy (enlargement) of the healthy kidney.
Kidney atresia means that the kidney is smaller than normal. This can happen for two basic reasons. The first is that part of the kidney does not develop completely from birth (called a congenital problem). The second type happens after birth, and can occur in one or both kidneys. This type of kidney atrophy is due to a lower blood supply (i.e. ischemia) to the kidney(s) and/or loss of nephrons, the basic working units of the kidneys. Chronic infections or blockage of the kidney can also result in kidney atresia.
Kidney hypertrophy means that a kidney is larger than normal. There are many different causes for this from urinary, metabolic to infectious.
The kidneys filter the blood (remove wastes and fluid from the body) and produce urine. Sometimes if a kidney gets injured (e.g. trauma, severe kidney infection, uncontrolled blood pressure or chemical toxin), a scar can form. Kidney scarring can be associated with suboptimal kidney function.
