About your Kidneys

Kidneys: What are they?

The kidneys are a pair of bean shaped organ  located at the back of the abdomen. Each kidney measures 10-15 cm in length and weighs approximately 160 grams.

There is a constant flow of blood through the kidneys. Inside the kidneys the blood is filtered, through millions of small, thinly walled blood vessels called glomerulus.

The fluid filtered out is called urine. The urine is collected in the central part of the kidney and passes through the urinary ducts, or ureters down to the bladder.

Each day the two kidneys excrete about 1-2 litres of urine depending on fluid intake.

Function of the kidneys

The kidneys perform the vital jobs of cleaning the blood of waste products and removing excess fluid.

The other functions of the kidney are to maintain the body’s balance of various salts such as Sodium, Potassium, Calcium and  phosphate as well as acid.

They release hormones, which influence the bone structure (Vit D), the generation of red blood cells (erythropoietin) and the regulation of blood pressure.