Kidneys – Vacuum cleaners of the body

• Dr Kiran Kumar MD DM
• Feb 2,2020

The kidneys are a pair of bean shaped organs , roughly the size of a large fist , located below the rib cage on either side of the spine.

The main job of the kidneys is to clean the blood off the various poisonous waste products that form in daily life just like a vacuum cleaner.

All the blood in the body has to pass through the kidneys several times a day so as to perform the function. They also maintain the body’s fluid balance and correct levels of electrolytes like sodium, potassium , calcium , phosphorus.

Kidneys have pivotal role in regulation of our blood pressure. Apart from the excretory function of the kidneys , they also help in production of blood by producing a hormone called erythropoietin. Kidney also participate in formation of active vitamin D thereby maintaining the health of the bones.

The process of removal of waste products happen by way of formation of urine. There are about 1 million filtering units in each kidney called nephrons. The rate at which the kidney filter is around half a cup of blood per minute.

The urine formed by the nephrons ultimately flows from the kidneys to the urinary bladder through two thin tubes of muscle called ureters, one on each side of the bladder. The bladder is a storage organ for urine. Together – kidneys, ureters and bladder form the urinary tract.