Everyone has a pair of kidneys in his body. Just like other organs, you must maintain kidney health so that this one organ can work optimally and be free from kidney disease. To make it easier, you must first understand the functions of the kidney, kidney parts, and types of kidney function checks.
The kidneys are located along the muscular wall of the back (posterior muscle) of the abdominal cavity. The shape of the kidney is similar to a nut that is about the size of a fist, about 12 centimeters long and 6 centimeters wide.
Just like other organs, kidneys play an important role in the human body. The main function of the kidney is to filter out waste (waste) in the body, both from food, drugs, and toxic substances.
The kidneys filter 200 liters of blood every day. Of the many blood that is filtered, there are 2 liters of waste that must be removed through urine. For this reason, the kidney is equipped with a pair of ureters, a bladder, and a urethra that will carry urine out of the body.
In addition to removing residual substances in the body, the function of other kidney parts is to reabsorb substances needed by the body, namely amino acids, sugar, sodium, potassium, and other nutrients. The function of this part of the kidney is affected by the adrenal glands located at the top of each kidney.
The adrenal gland produces the hormone aldosterone. This hormone functions to absorb potassium from urine into blood vessels so that it can be used again by the body.
The function of the kidney part does not stop there. The kidneys are also responsible for producing hormones that are beneficial to the body, including:
- Erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells.
- Renin, functions to regulate blood pressure.
- Calcitriol, an active form of vitamin D that helps maintain bone health.