kidney Anatomy
In order to understand the problems that a kidney disease can cause you must first understand what a health kidney should be like.
Where is the kidney located?
The Kidneys are two bean shaped structures located in the lower back. Each one sits on either side of the lower spine. The one on the left being in the T12 area and the one on the right being in the L3 area.
(Kidney functions)
What are the kidneys and what do they do?
The kidneys are the main blood, waste and water filtration organs in your body and creates urine to filter the waste products of the blood to maintain body homeostasis. The kidneys also maintain the fluid balance. Each of the 2 kidneys have 1 million tiny functional filtration units called nephrons which help to keep your blood healthy.
What are the different parts of the kidney and what do they do?
There are many different parts inside of the kidney that help with the filtration possess of the blood. These include the: cortext, medula, renal pyramids, renal pelvis, renal artery, renal vein, and the nephron.
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The cortex is the outermost layer of the kidney and is what helps keeps the kidney in it's bean shape. The cortex is a place where majority of the nephrons are present which filters the blood that comes in from the renal artery.
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The medulla and the renal pyramids help to filter and concentrate the filtered blood.
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The renal pelvis is the collecting system that collects the urine before draining it into the bladder.
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The Renal artery and the renal vein. The renal artery is the blood vessel that brings blood from the bloodstream to the kidney in order for it to be filtered by the kidney. The renal vein is a separate blood vessel that takes the filtered blood from the kidney back into the circulation for it to be used again.
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The Nephrons are the tiny functional filtering units found in the kidneys cortex and medulla.
*more on nephron anatomy is the second drop d
labeled "nephron anatomy".
(Kidneys, ureters and suprarenal glands)
What are the main functions of the kidney?
There are 5 main functions of the kidney:
1. Filtration - When blood enters the kidney and the glomeruli filter the waste and fluid.
2. Reabsorption - filtered fluid passes through the tubules where substances are reabsorbed back into the blood
3. Secretion - Waste products and excess acid and electrolytes are secreted into the filtrate
4. Excretion - When urine travels from the kidney through the ureters into the bladder
5. Synthesis - Producing essential substances for the body
How the Blood filtration process works: In a step by step format
Step 1:
Unfiltered blood from the bloodstream enters the kidney through the renal artery for it to be filtered.
Step 2:
The blood is then filtered for the first time by the nephrons in the cortex where the nephrons separate the waste material from the blood.
Step 3:
That separated blood is then filtered again in the medulla where it enters the renal pyramid nephrons and exits through the tip of the pyramid. (this is called the calyx)
Step 4:
After exiting the calyx the waste product and blood is fully separated where the waste product goes to the bladder through the ureter.