KIDNEYS 101
To understand what kidney disease is, you must first understand the purpose of the kidneys and how they function. This is a brief non-technical description of the kidneys and their purpose.
What are the Kidneys?
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of the spine. Every day, the two kidneys filter about 120 to 150 quarts of blood to produce about 1 to 2 quarts of urine, composed of wastes and extra fluid. The urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder through two thin tubes of muscle called ureters, one on each side of the bladder. The bladder stores urine. The muscles of the bladder wall remain relaxed while the bladder fills with urine. As the bladder fills to capacity, signals sent to the brain tell a person to find a toilet soon. When the bladder empties, urine flows out of the body through a tube called the urethra, located at the bottom of the bladder. In men the urethra is long, while in women it is short. We have two Kidneys and scientist aren’t really sure why. When one fails, usually the other fails as well, except for cancers.
Why are the kidneys important?
The kidneys are important because they keep the composition, or makeup, of the blood stable, which lets the body function.
Prevent the buildup
of wastes
Remove extra fluid in the body
Keep levels of electrolytes stable, such as sodium, potassium, and phosphate
Make hormones that help regulate blood pressure, make red blood cells, help bones stay strong.
How do the kidneys work?
The kidney is not one large filter. Each kidney is made up of about a million filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron filters a small amount of blood. The nephron includes a filter, called the glomerulus, and a tubule. The nephrons work through a two-step process. The glomerulus lets fluid and waste products pass through it; however, it prevents blood cells and large molecules, mostly proteins, from passing. The filtered fluid then passes through the tubule, which sends needed minerals back to the bloodstream and removes wastes. The final product becomes urine. Once our Kidneys completely fail they can not clean the bodies blood at all, it become impossible for the body to remove fluid/water and in most cases urinating come to a halt.