Kidney Structure and Function
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The kidney is the size of a fist-protected by the rib cage
- Surrounded by tough fibrous capsule.
- The nephron is the functional unit of the kidneys.
- A glomerulus is a ball of capillaries in a sac called Bowman’s capsule. The Capillary walls are semipermeable membranes.
- A semipermeable membrane has pores in the walls that let small substances pass through, but hold larger ones.
- The dialyzer functions like a nephron. The fibers inside the dialyzer funtion as a semipermeable membrane.
Excretory Function
- Excrete or get rid of wastes and excess water as urine
- Gets rid of waste products produced from metabolism such as toxins and acids that are produced by the breakdown of tissue, food or drug
Endocrine Function
- Hormone- chemical made on one part of the body and acts on another part. Hormones act as messengers
- Kidneys produce two hormones and an enzyme
- Erythropoietin: tells bone marrow to make RBCs aranesp and epogen
- Calcitriol: activates Vitamin D to help body absorb calcium- important for strong bones Zemplar
- Renin-Enzyme (a protein that causes an effect). Helps control blood pressure
