How does the Kidney Work

The kidneys are a pair of organs in the body that carry out many crucial functions. They play a very important role in purifying blood. Some people have a single kidney from birth, but are still able to lead healthy lives. A person can definitely stay alive with just one kidney, and enjoy a normal healthy life. But he won't be able to participate in strenuous physical activities that could be a strain on the one kidney present in the body.

This is an organ which has the shape that resembles a bean, and is approximately the size of a fist. They are situated below the rib cage in the middle of the back. They carry out sophisticated processes over and over again for the human body. Their other functions include maintaining homeostasis, removing waste materials, cleaning and filtering blood, and equilibrizing the level of fluids in the body. In a span of 24 hours, they approximately process 200 liters of blood in order to separate around 2 liters of waste materials and excess water which later becomes urine. The urine then passes through tubes known as ureters to the bladder which accumulates it until a person urinates.

Normal breakdown of the muscles' working tissues is a reason why waste materials come in the blood. The energy required by the body is acquired from the food that a person consumes, and is vital to the body for self-repairs. Waste is also be generated from the unwanted constituents present in the food. After the body extracts the needed nutrients from the food, it sends all waste materials to the blood. The kidneys are very significant in this process, as they take out the waste products from the blood. If the kidneys fail to do so, the waste would accumulate in the blood and cause severe damage to the body. They are closely related to the heart which is also an important part of the body and carries out blood circulation. A defect in the kidney system can lead to kidney or heart diseases.

The waste removal from the blood is actually carried out in 'nephrons', which are small units inside the kidneys. A kidney has approximately a million nephrons. 'Glomerulus', a small blood vessel present in a nephron, interlaces with a 'tubule' which is a tube that collects urine. It acts like a sieve which keeps all necessary constituents in the bloodstream, allowing waste products and fluids to pass through and enter the urinary system. Some of the waste products and chemicals that are received by the 'tubules' may still be used by the body. The kidneys identify and sort out useful elements like sodium and potassium, and send them back to the blood to be utilized by the body. They regulate and maintain the level of necessary chemicals for the body to remain healthy. Moreover, they release certain hormones like 'erythropoietin', which acts as a bone marrow stimulant to produce red blood cells, and 'renin' that is responsible for regulation of blood pressure. 'Calcitriol' is also released by kidneys, which helps regulate calcium from bones and for maintaining proper levels of chemicals in the body.

Care should be taken not to expose the body to harmful radio waves, or even consuming excess alcohol. These are the major causes of kidney damage. It is highly recommended to undergo periodic health checkups for ensuring proper functioning of the kidneys, as similar to the other vital organs like the heart and lungs, the kidneys also perform important functions within our body.