Kidneys
Kidneys
The Kidneys (/ˈkɪdni/; from Greek: νεφρός, nephros) are two bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about 11 centimeters in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood exits into the paired renal veins. Each kidney is attached to a ureter, a tube that carries excreted urine to the bladder.
Etymology
The term "kidney" is derived from Old English cwiðe, meaning "womb". The term is related to the German Küche, meaning "kitchen", due to the organ's role in filtering and processing bodily fluids.
Function
The kidneys perform the life-sustaining job of filtering and returning to the bloodstream about 200 quarts of fluid every 24 hours. About two quarts are removed from the body in the form of urine, and about 198 quarts are recovered. The urine we excrete has been stored in the bladder for anywhere from 1 to 8 hours.
Related Terms
- Nephrology: The branch of medicine that deals with the physiology and diseases of the kidneys.
- Renal physiology: The study of the functions of the kidneys.
- Renal failure: A medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter waste products from the blood.
- Renal artery: The blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood to the kidneys.
- Renal vein: The blood vessel that carries deoxygenated blood away from the kidneys.
- Ureter: The duct by which urine passes from the kidney to the bladder.
- Bladder: The hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Kidneys
- Wikipedia's article - Kidneys
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