TOPIC GUIDES > Kidneys
Kidneys are an important organ of your body. Their main purpose is
to remove waste products from your body. A majority of people have
two kidneys, located on either side of their lower back. They are
shaped like two large beans and are a reddish brown in colour.
Your kidneys receive large amounts of blood - 20
percent - pumped by the heart. The large blood supply allows them
to do the following tasks:
- Regulate the composition of you blood
- keep the concentrations of various
icons and other important substances constant
- keep the volume of water in your body
constant
- remove wastes from you body (urea,
ammonia, drugs, toxic substances)
- keep the acid/base concentration of
your blood constant.
- Help regulate your blood pressure
- Stimulate the making of red blood cells
- Maintain your body's calcium levels
Your kidneys receive the blood from the renal
artery, process it, return the processed blood to the body through the
renal vein and remove the wastes and other unwanted substances in the
urine. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the
bladder. In the bladder, the urine is stored until it is excreted
from the body through the urethra.
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