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Before we can understand how our kidneys work, it is important to know a little bit about the two 'bean-shaped' organs we each have. Your kidneys are located beneath the rib cage on both sides of the spine and have about a million nephrons each. These nephrons contain small blood vessels contained within a tightly-regulated system that together serves as filtering units.
Cleaning The Blood If both kidneys are working properly, the body has 100% renal function. Actually, even if we only have one healthy kidney, it is sufficient to filter the blood efficiently.
Synthesis of Red Blood Cells There are certain cells within the kidney that are responsible for this job and they are sensitive to sudden changes in oxygen levels in the blood. When they detect that oxygen levels within the kidneys are low, they release erythropoietins, which, in turn stimulate the bone marrow to form more red blood cells. The ability of the blood to carry more oxygen is, thus, increased.
Blood Pressure Regulator However, kidneys are at the receiving end of changes in blood pressure. High blood pressure not only damages the kidneys, but may escalate further when the kidneys are damaged and unable to excrete fluids. Thus, the kidney has an important role in keeping blood pressure at normal levels. High blood pressure or hypertension causes the heart to work harder to pump blood throughout the body. Over time, this causes significant damage to blood vessels. Once the blood vessels within the kidney are damages, the other functions of this organ become impaired and can no longer get rid of waste and excess fluid efficiently. The excess fluid within the body further increases blood pressure levels.
Bone-Strength Preserver Healthy kidneys produce a type of vitamin D known as calcitriol. Calcitriol promotes calcium absorption from food into the blood and bones, and works with the parathyroid hormone to maintain a normal balance of calcium in the body. But when damaged kidneys are unable to produce calcitriol to absord calcium from food, the parathyroid hormone level increases. The parathyroid hormone in turn, strip calcium from bones to maintain body's calcium levels as it is unable to prolonged removal of calcium from the body's storage can result in brittle bones and osteoporosis. |
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