Kidney Function Overview

Kidney Function:

• Kidneys filter out toxic waste products from the body.
• These toxic waste products include: urea, creatinine, uric acid, hemoglobin breakdown products.
• Bicarbonate isn't a toxic waste product; it's a critical component of blood pH regulation.
• The primary function of the kidneys is to regulate water concentration in the body.
• Other functions include: excreting foreign chemicals, gluconeogenesis (creating glucose from non-carbohydrate sources), and releasing hormones and enzymes.
• Kidneys do not store fat, produce bile, filter lymph, or synthesize insulin.
• The functional unit of the kidney is called a nephron.
• Each nephron consists of: a renal corpuscle, a renal tubule.
• The renal corpuscle is made up of a glomerulus and a Bowman's capsule.
• Only 20% of plasma filters into Bowman's capsule.
• The remaining blood leaves the glomerulus through the efferent arteriole.