HOW DO KIDNEYS FUNCTION ?

Find out what your kidneysare doingto keep you alive

Kidneys organs the back are situated just bean-shaped under halfway the down
ribcage, one on each side of the body,and weigh between115and 170 grams each, dependent on the individual'ssex and size.The left kidneyis commonlya little larger than the right and due to the effectiveness of these organs, individuals born with only one kidney can survive with little or no adverse health problems. Indeed, the bodycan operate normallywitha 30-40 per cent decline in kidney function.This decline in function would rarely even be
noticeable and shows just how effective the kidneysareat filtering out waste productsas well as maintaining mineral levels and blood pressure throughout the body.The kidneys
manage to control all of this by working with other organsand glandsacross the bodysuch as the hypothalamus, which helps the kidneysdetermineand control water levels in the body.
Each day the kidneys will filter between150and180 litres of blood, but only passaround two litres of waste down the ureters to the bladder for excretion.Thiswaste product is primarily urea-a by-product of protein being broken down for energy -and water,and it'smore commonly known as 'urine'.The kidneys filter the blood by passing it through a small filtering unit called a nephron. Each kidney hasaround a million of these, which are made up of a number of small blood capillaries, called glomerulus,and a urine-collecting
tube called the renal tubule. The glomerulussift the normal cellsand
proteins from the blood and then move the waste products into the renal tubule, which transports urine down into the bladder through the ureters.
Alongside this filtering process, the kidneysalso release three crucial hormones (known as erythropoietin, renin and calcitriol) which encourage red blood cell production,aid regulation of blood pressure and help bone development and mineral