Kidney Anatomy and Function

 The kidneys are two vital organs situated on either side of the spine, below and behind the ribcage. They play a vital role in maintaining homeostasis. The kidneys filter out waste products from blood, produce hormones that help regulate blood pressure and acid-base balance in the body, store vitamins, minerals and red blood cells produced by bone marrow cells. In other words, they have numerous functions which keep you healthy and active!

Human Kidney

 The nephron performs the basic function of the kidney, i.e., to filter the blood in order to produce urine.

 The nephron is the basic functional unit of the kidney. It consists of a glomerulus and a tubule. The glomerulus is a cluster of capillaries, which are blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to your body's organs. As blood passes through these capillaries, some of it flows into tiny tubes called "tubules," which carry out the filtering process for waste products in the body.

The tubules lead to another part of the nephron called Bowman's capsule (or Bowman's space). This is where urine begins collecting before it leaves your body through your ureter into your bladder or urethra (the tube from which you urinate).

 Blood is supplied to the kidneys through a main artery called the renal artery.

 Your kidneys are supplied with blood through a main artery called the renal artery. The renal vein is also paired with the renal artery and carries blood from the kidney back to your heart. The reason why this pairing exists is because your kidneys are located on opposite sides of your body.

 Renal cortex refers to the outer part of the kidney which is responsible for producing hormones that aid in controlling blood pressure.

 Renal cortex refers to the outer part of the kidney which is responsible for producing hormones that aid in controlling blood pressure. The renal cortex produces renin, a hormone involved in regulating blood pressure, as well as erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production to increase oxygenation.

 The renal pelvis is a large funnel-shaped structure that collects urine from all nephrons and passes it further down via ureters into the urinary bladder.

Kidney Anatomy

 Renal capsule refers to a thin membrane surrounding each of the kidneys that provides protection against injury or infection by preventing them from penetrating deeper into  the kidney.

 The renal capsule refers to a thin membrane surrounding each of the kidneys that provides protection against injury or infection by preventing them from penetrating deeper into  the kidney. The renal capsules also help to maintain the shape of their respective kidneys, and prevents them from being pushed out of place.

 Learn about kidney parts and their functions

 The kidneys are bean-shaped organs that sit on either side of your spine. They play a vital role in filtering blood and producing urine, which carries waste products from your body.

The kidneys also balance the body's fluids and electrolytes by removing excess fluid from the bloodstream and returning it to circulation via urination, thereby maintaining homeostasis (a stable state). This function is especially important during periods when you're losing large amounts of fluid through sweating or vomiting.

 Conclusion

 This post was intended to give you a brief overview of the anatomy and functions of kidneys. I hope that it will help you answer questions like: What are the parts of a kidney, what do they do and how do they work together?