The Kidney are a pair of organ situated on the side, posterior wall ‚one of the either side of vertebral column, behind the peritoneum, below the diaphragm.
They extend from the 12th Thoracic vertebra to the 3rd lumbar vertebra. Kidney is bean shaped organ about 11cm in length 6cm in wide and 3cm thick. The average of adult kidney is 150 gm in male and 130 gm in female. The kidney is dark red in color.
Kidney job is to filter the blood. They remove waste, control the body’s fluid balance and keeps tbe right levels of electrolyte.
Nephrons are The functional unit of kidney.
Each kidney posses about 1.2 million nephron in man. The nephron is a thin, long, twisted tubular structure.
Parts of nephron are:-
- Glomerulus
- Loop of henle
- Proximal Convoluted tubules
- Distal Convoluted tubules
- Collecting duct
The Glomerulus filtrate flow from the bowman’s capsule through the PCT, loop of henle, DCT and collecting duct. Then tubules reabsorb considerable amounts of water and different solutes from the filtrate changing it to urine.
Functions of Nephron are
- Excretion of water
- The excretion of the end product of protein metabolism
- The excretion of ions, regulation of the acid base balance and the ph of blood
- The excretion of drugs toxins and chemicals substances