What’s The Purpose Of Your Kidneys

What Happens If My Kidneys Fail

If your kidneys fail, that means they have completely stopped doing their job to filter waste from your blood. Kidney failure is also called end-stage renal disease. Waste may build up in your blood and cause health problems, such as:

If this happens, you will need to start dialysis or have a kidney transplant to live.

Top 5 Jobs Kidneys Do

In a popular 1970 song, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell asked, Dont it always seem to go that you dont know what youve got till its gonea question that could have been aimed at people with kidney disease. The kidneys play a crucial role in maintaining overall health, but are rarely appreciated until they become damaged and can no longer do their jobs.

Do you know what your kidneys do every day to keep you healthy? The answer is quite a lot. The kidneys play an important role in keeping your body functioning properly. Here are the 5 top jobs healthy kidneys perform.

1. Remove wastes and extra fluid

Your kidneys act like a filter to remove wastes and extra fluid from your body. Your kidneys filter about 200 quarts of blood each day to make about 1 to 2 quarts of urine. The urine contains wastes and extra fluid. This prevents buildup of wastes and fluid to keep your body healthy.

2. Control blood pressure

Your kidneys need pressure to work properly. Kidneys can ask for higher pressure if it seems too low, or try to lower pressure if it seems too high by controlling fluid levels and making the hormone that causes blood vessels to constrict.

3. Make red blood cells

Your kidneys make a hormone called erythropoietin. Erythropoietin tells bone marrow to make red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to supply all your body’s needs. Red blood cells give you the energy you need for daily activities.

4. Keep bones healthy

5. Control pH Levels

What Do Kidneys Do

One of the main jobs of the kidneys is to filter the waste out of the blood. How does the waste get in your blood? Well, your blood delivers nutrients to your body. Chemical reactions in the cells of your body break down the nutrients. Some of the waste is the result of these chemical reactions. Some is just stuff your body doesn’t need because it already has enough. The waste has to go somewhere this is where the kidneys come in.

First, blood is carried into the kidneys by the renal artery . The average person has 1 to 1½ gallons of blood circulating through his or her body. The kidneys filter that blood about 40 times a day! More than 1 million tiny filters inside the kidneys remove the waste. These filters, called nephrons , are so small you can see them only with a high-powered microscope.

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What Affects The Amount Of Urine You Produce

The amount of urine you produce depends on many factors, such as the amount of liquid and food you consume and the amount of fluid you lose through sweating and breathing. Certain medicines, medical conditions, and types of food can also affect the amount of urine you produce. Children produce less urine than adults.

Physiology Of The Urinary System

Every day, the kidneys filter gallons of fluid from the bloodstream. The normal physiology that takes place in the urinary system are as follows:

Urine Formation

Urine formation is a result of three processes:

• Glomerular filtration. Water and solutes smaller than proteins are forced through the capillary walls and pores of the glomerular capsule into the renal tubule.
• Tubular reabsorption. Water, glucose, amino acids, and needed ions are transported out of the filtrate into the tubule cells and then enter the capillary blood.
• Tubular secretion. Hydrogen, potassium, creatinine, and drugs are removed from the peritubular blood and secreted by the tubule cells into the filtrate.

Characteristics of Urine

In 24 hours, the marvelously complex kidneys filter some 150 to 180 liters of blood plasma through their glomeruli into the tubules.

Micturition

Micturition or voiding is the act of emptying the bladder.

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Ways To Keep Your Kidneys Healthy

• Takeaway

Overview

Your kidneys are fist-sized organs located at the bottom of your rib cage, on both sides of your spine. They perform several functions.

Most importantly, they filter waste products, excess water, and other impurities from your blood. These waste products are stored in your bladder and later expelled through urine.

In addition, your kidneys regulate pH, salt, and potassium levels in your body. They also produce hormones that regulate blood pressure and control the production of red blood cells.

Your kidneys are also responsible for activating a form of vitamin D that helps your body absorb calcium for building bones and regulating muscle function.

Maintaining kidney health is important to your overall health and general well-being. By keeping your kidneys healthy, your body will filter and expel waste properly and produce hormones to help your body function properly.

Here are some tips to help keep your kidneys healthy.

Secretion Of Active Compounds

The kidneys release several important compounds, including:

• Erythropoietin: This controls erythropoiesis, which is the production of red blood cells. The liver also produces erythropoietin, but the kidneys are its main producers in adults.
• Renin: This enzyme helps manage the expansion of arteries and the volumes of blood plasma, lymph, and interstitial fluid. Lymph is a fluid that contains white blood cells, which support immune activity, and interstitial fluid is the main component of extracellular fluid.
• Calcitriol: This is the hormonally active metabolite of vitamin D. It increases both the amount of calcium that the intestines can absorb and the reabsorption of phosphate in the kidney.

A range of diseases can affect the kidneys. Environmental or medical factors may lead to kidney disease, and they can cause functional and structural problems from birth in some people.

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Finding Your Family Practice

Its essential to become knowledgeable about your body and how to stay healthy. But, its critical to make sure you find a family practice to stay on top of your annual check ups and health. Our staff and team offer years of combined experience so that you can rest assured you are getting the best care. We also have community resources and advocates at our fingertips to help you and your loved ones on their journey to a healthy life.

Can You Live Without A Kidney

You can live with just one kidney. Healthcare providers may remove one of your kidneys in a radical nephrectomy.

Someone may have only one kidney if they:

• Had a kidney removed due to cancer or injury.
• Made a kidney donation to someone else for a kidney transplant.
• Were born with only one kidney .
• Were born with two kidneys but only one kidney works .

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Monitor Weight And Eat A Healthy Diet

People who are overweight or obese are at risk for a number of health conditions that can damage the kidneys. These include diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease.

A healthy diet thats low in sodium, processed meats, and other kidney-damaging foods may help reduce the risk of kidney damage. Focus on eating fresh ingredients that are naturally low-sodium, such as cauliflower, blueberries, fish, whole grains, and more.

Your Kidneys Are Vital

Your kidneys are located near the middle of your back, on either side of your backbone . They are protected from physical injury by a large layer of fat, along with your lower ribs and back muscles.

They are bean-shaped and each one is the size of an adult fist . Most people are born with two kidneys, but around one in every 750 people are born with just one. The good news is that you can still lead a healthy life with just one. One kidney alone can provide up to 75 per cent of normal kidney function.

The entire organ is not one big filter. Each kidney is made up of about one million tiny filters called nephrons. Blood enters your kidneys through the renal artery and goes back into your body by the renal vein.

Your kidneys have four incredible powers. They:

clean your blood and circulate a fresh supply around your body 12 times every hour. This works out to a total of around 200 litres of blood per day.

process excess fluid and unwanted chemicals and waste in your blood. The result is about one to two litres of urine that you pass each day, detoxifying your body.

keep your blood pressure regular by telling the blood vessels in your body when to expand and contract

manage your bodys production of Vitamin D, which is crucial for maintaining strong bones and producing red blood cells that carry oxygen around your body.

Read on to find out how to keep your kidneys healthy.

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Kidneys And The Heart

The role of your kidneys contributes to the overall good health of your body, but the specific benefits to your heart are even more crucial. Your kidneys produce a protein called erythropoetein which tells your body its time to make more red blood cells. The kidneys also produce renin, a hormone that helps control your blood pressure. Lastly, the kidneys play a vital role in balancing the phosphorous and calcium in your body also important for good heart health.

How Your Kidneys Work

Your kidneys play a vital role in your body. They work hard to clean your blood and create urine for you 24 hours a day. Without kidney function, you would struggle to process toxins and eliminate waste, and this would have a devastating impact on your health.

Its important to keep your kidneys healthy so they can perform these important tasks throughout your life. If your kidneys are not healthy, other organs in your body may suffer and this could lead to further health complications.

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What Is The Urinary System

The urinary system contains the kidneys, bladder, ureters, and urethra. These organs work together primarily to create, store and eliminate waste, namely urine.

In order to function properly, the human body extracts nutrients from food and uses them to produce energy and repair damages. Once food has been broken down and the body has retrieved what it needs, waste products stay behind in the bowel and the blood until they are removed via the urinary system. Successfully ridding the body of waste is essential to maintaining optimal health. Thats the job of the urinary system: Its construction is relatively simple, but the processes that occur within it are complex and vital to health and well-being.

Thereof, which are functions of the urinary system?

Kidney and urinary system parts and their functions:

• Two kidneys. This pair of purplish-brown organs is located below the ribs toward the middle of the back.
• Two ureters. These narrow tubes carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder.
• Bladder.

What are the four functions of the urinary system?

Urinary System Anatomy and Function

• Kidneys. There are a pair of kidneys that are purplish-brown and are located below the ribs in the middle of the back.
• Two Ureters. Each kidney has a narrow tube called a ureter, which carries urine from the kidney to the bladder.
• Bladder.

What is the functional unit of the kidneys?

nephron

Kidneys: The Ultimate Multitaskers

Kidneys dont just clean your blood, they also play other vital roles in your overall health. On a daily basis, your kidneys work to:

• Release hormones to help regulate blood pressure
• Control sodium and fluid levels in your body
• Stimulate production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body
• Create vitamin D to help your body absorb calcium

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What Are The Kidneys And Urinary Tract

The urinary tract is one of the systems that our bodies use to get rid of waste products. The kidneys are the part of the urinary tract that makes urine . Urine has salts, toxins, and water that need to be filtered out of the blood. After the kidneys make urine, it leaves the body using the rest of the urinary tract as a pathway.

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Is It Kidney Pain Or Back Pain

Kidney pain and back pain are similar, and people often confuse them.

Back pain usually occurs in your lower back.

Kidney pain is deeper in your body and higher up your back. Youll likely feel pain in your sides or your middle- to upper-back area . The pain may progress to other areas, including your abdomen or groin.

Kidney pain results from swelling or blockage of your kidneys or urinary tract. Symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting or pain when you pee.

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How Much Do My Kidneys Weigh

The weight of your kidneys varies. Variances may include your height, weight, age, body mass index and location.

For men and people assigned male at birth, your right kidney may range from 1/5 to about 1/2 lbs. . Your left kidney may range from a little less than 1/5 to a little more than 1/2 lbs. . Your kidneys may weigh between the weight of one tennis ball and four tennis balls.

For women and people assigned female at birth, your right kidney may range from a little more than 1/10 to 3/5 lbs. . Your left kidney may range from 3/20 to a little less than 3/5 lbs. . Your kidneys may weigh between the weight of one tennis ball or five tennis balls.

What Are The Reasons For A Kidney Ultrasound

A kidney ultrasound may be used to assess the size, location, and shapeof the kidneys and related structures, such as the ureters and bladder.Ultrasound can detect cysts, tumors, abscesses, obstructions, fluidcollection, and infection within or around the kidneys.Calculi of the kidneysand ureters may be detected by ultrasound.

A kidney ultrasound may be performed to assist in placement of needlesused tobiopsy the kidneys, to drain fluid from a cyst or abscess, or to place a drainage tube.This procedure may also be used to determine blood flow to the kidneysthrough the renal arteries and veins.

Kidney ultrasound may be used after akidney transplantto evaluate the transplanted kidney.

There may be other reasons for your physician to recommend a kidneyultrasound.

Our Approach to Kidney Ultrasounds

The Johns Hopkins Kidney Program is one of the first in the country and our doctors have pioneered some of the most innovative treatments for patients with renal failure. In addition to offering leading-edge procedures, our program offers shorter wait times and minimally invasive options, which can lead to a faster recovery.

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Introduction To Your Kidneys

Learn where your kidneys are in your body, what they do, what happens if they stop working and how you can keep your kidneys healthy.

Your kidneys are vital organs. This means you cannot survive without them. They filter waste from your blood and do other important jobs, such as helping control your blood pressure and make red blood cells. Most people are born with two kidneys, but some people are born with just one. You can live with one healthy kidney.

The Tubule Returns Needed Substances To Your Blood And Removes Wastes

A blood vessel runs alongside the tubule. As the filtered fluid moves along the tubule, the blood vessel reabsorbs almost all of the water, along with minerals and nutrients your body needs. The tubule helps remove excess acid from the blood. The remaining fluid and wastes in the tubule become urine.

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How Do Kidneys Keep The Right Amount Of Water In The Body

Kidneys make about 1-2 litres of urine everyday and they keep the water level in your body perfectly balanced.

If you drink a lot with no or less exercise, you will need to urinate more. This is because when you drink too much, your kidneys make watery urine to get rid of any excess.

More you exercise less urine your kidneys will make. This is because, you lose more body fluid in sweat.

What Are The First Signs Of Kidney Problems

Most kidney problems dont have signs in their early stages. As kidney damage progresses, you may notice:

• Cramping muscles: Electrolyte imbalances cause your muscles to stiffen.
• Dark urine or urine with blood in it: Damage to your kidneys filters lets blood cells leak into your urine.
• Foamy urine: Bubbles in your pee can signal excess protein.
• Itchy, dry skin: An imbalance of minerals and nutrients in your blood leads to itchy skin.
• More frequent urination: Problems filtering waste cause you to pee more often.
• Puffy eyes or swollen ankles and feet: Reduced kidney function can cause your body to hold onto protein and sodium, resulting in swelling.
• Sleep problems, fatigue and lack of appetite: If toxins build up in your blood, your sleep, appetite and energy levels may be off.

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How Do My Kidneys Filter Blood

Each kidney contains more than a million filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron consists of:

• Glomeruli: Glomeruli are groups of tiny blood vessels that perform the first stage of filtering your blood. They then pass filtered substances to the renal tubules. The name for this process is glomerular filtration.
• Renal tubules: These tiny tubes reabsorb and return water, nutrients and minerals your body needs . The tubules remove waste, including excess acid and fluids through a process called diffusion. Your body sends the remaining waste through your kidneys collecting chambers. Eventually, it leaves your body as pee.