kilocalorie The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 liter of water 1° Celsius at sea level. In nutrition terms, the word calorie is commonly used instead of the more precise scientific term kilocalorie. See also calorie.
kilobase A unit of length of DNA that is equal to 1,000 nucleotide bases. Abbreviated Kb.
kidney transplant Replacement of a diseased, damaged, or missing kidney with a donor kidney. Patients with end-stage kidney failure are candidates for transplantation. A successful transplant frees the patient from needing dialysis and provides the kidney’s other metabolic functions. The principal problems in kidney transplantation are immunologic—avoiding rejection of the transplanted kidney by the recipient’s…
kidney stone A stone in the kidney or a stone that originates in the kidney but has passed lower down in the urinary tract. Kidney stones are a common cause of blood in the urine and pain in the abdomen, flank, or groin. The development of kidney stones is related to decreased urine volume or…
kidney scoping See retrograde intrarenal surgery.
kidney One of a pair of organs located in the right and left side of the abdomen. The kidneys remove waste products from the blood and produce urine. As blood flows through the kidneys, the kidneys filter waste products, chemicals, and unneeded water from the blood. Urine collects in the middle of each kidney, in…
KID syndrome See keratitis-ichthyosisdeafness syndrome.
ketonuria A condition in which abnormally high amounts of ketone metabolites are present in the urine. Ketonuria is usually a sign of diabetes that is out of control. Ketonuria can also develop as a result of fasting, dieting, starvation, and eating disorders. See ketoacidosis.
ketone bodies Acetone, acetoacetate, and Bhydroxybutyrate—three toxic, acidic chemicals that build up in the bloodstream when the body is forced to burn fat for energy instead of burning glucose. See also ketoacidosis.
ketogenic diet A diet devised as a treatment for severe seizure disorders that do not respond to conventional medication. The traditional ketogenic diet contains four parts fat to one part protein and carbohydrate. All portions must be precisely weighed and timed. Because this diet can cause the buildup of ketone bodies in the blood, it…
ketoacidosis A life-threatening feature of uncontrolled diabetes that is characterized by a combination of ketosis and acidosis. Ketosis is the accumulation of substances called ketone bodies in the blood. Acidosis is increased acidity of the blood. Symptoms of ketoacidosis include slow, deep breathing with a fruity odor to the breath, confusion, frequent urination (polyuria), poor…
Keshan disease A condition caused by deficiency of the essential mineral selenium. Keshan disease is a potentially fatal form of cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle). It was first observed in Keshan province in China, and it has since been found in other areas where the selenium level in the soil is low. Treatment involves…