The Vital Role of the Kidney: Structure, Function, and Homeostasis

Abstract

Instructor’s Name Due Date The kidneys play a crucial part in the human body. They are bean-shaped organs located in the back of the abdominal cavity, below the ribcage, one on either side of the spine (Srivastava et al., 2020). It is surrounded by a tough fibrous renal capsule that supports the tissue. It also has two more layers of fate which provides further protection. The right kidney is slightly lower than the left kidney because of the position of the liver. The kidney is divided into halves, constituting the cortex and medulla. The main function of the kidney is homeostasis. Kidneys filter a cup of blood every minute, removing toxic substances, and excess water to make urine. Urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder through the ureter. The kidney helps in the removal of acid from the body produced by the cells of the body to maintain the balance of water, salts, and minerals such as sodium, calcium, potassium, and phosphorous (Ellison et al., 2018). It also produces hormones that help control blood pressure, make red blood cells, and keep bones in the body strong and healthy. The kidney helps keep the internal environment of the boy consistent and comfortable. It also helps in electrolyte balance and activation of vitamin D. The kidney is made up of filtering units referred to as the nephrons and each nephron constitutes the glomerulus and the nephron which work in a two-step process. The glomerulus filters blood while the tubule returns the necessary substances to the blood and removes toxic substances. Blood flows into the kidney through the renal artery which branches to smaller blood vessels until it reaches the nephrons which are then filtered by the tiny...