The structure and functions of the kidneys in the human body, renal pathologies, rules for the treatment and prevention of diseases of important organs of the urinary system. Violations in the work of excretory organs. The location of the kidneys in the body

Nature has endowed the human body with great opportunities. Everything in it is extremely functional. Each organ performs its own important function. At the same time, all organs and systems interact with each other. One of the vital organs are the kidneys - the body's natural filter. They work continuously, purifying the blood of all kinds of toxins that poison the body.

In their parenchyma there are nephrons, which purify the blood. Therefore, it is in this place that toxins, excess salts, harmful chemicals with liquid residues accumulate. All this is sent to the renal pelvis, then to the bladder, after which it is excreted from the body along with urine. In general, the functions of the kidneys in the human body are diverse and extremely important.

The ancient Greeks spoke about the importance of maintaining the health of this organ, its smooth operation. They argued that a person is healthy only when his kidneys are healthy. Adepts of Eastern medicine note their importance, since it is the kidneys, according to Eastern doctors, that are responsible for fertilization, the normal course of pregnancy, for the entire reproductive function of a person, as well as for his vitality and sexual energy.

Let's find out what are the main functions of the kidneys? Let's talk about how to keep them healthy for years to come.

Basic functions of the kidneys

The main tasks of this organ are secretion and filtration. Imagine, in just a day, the kidneys completely purify all the blood about 50 times. But the kidneys also have other equally important functions. Let's list them briefly:

Production of hormones. The parenchyma, which we have already mentioned, produces erythropoietin. This substance is actively involved in the formation of blood cells in the bone marrow.

The body converts dietary vitamin D into calcitriol, its active form. This substance is necessary for effective absorption, assimilation of calcium by the intestines.

The main functions also include ensuring the required level of acid-base balance in the blood plasma. It must be understood that an acidic environment is extremely favorable for the vital activity of pathogenic bacteria. The kidneys, by neutralizing the acid, maintain the pH at around 7.4. This reduces the risk of many dangerous diseases.

In addition, they maintain a normal level of blood pressure, as they remove excess fluid from the body. When fluid builds up too much, it expands the blood volume, thereby raising blood pressure. Enzymes produced by the renal parenchyma regulate it by maintaining the balance of electrolytes.

Urine formation. This is a long, complex process. The kidney distributes the fluid, leaving the amount needed by the body. The rest is removed from the blood along with harmful substances, toxins. Without the formation and excretion of urine, a person would die from intoxication.

Another very important function is to maintain the necessary water-salt balance. During filtration, excess water and salts are removed from the blood. An important balance is maintained, which is necessary for the normal functioning of the whole organism.

To keep your kidneys healthy!

Few of us think about the state of our own kidneys while they are healthy. We begin to worry about them when various malfunctions arise in their work, diseases appear. But you just have to take care of them, prevent diseases, inflammation, in order to maintain health until old age. So:

What is bad for our kidneys?

The kidneys really "do not like" drafts, cold, dank winds, cold feet and clothes that are not suitable for the weather. It is these factors that often become the causes of the inflammatory process, pain in the lumbar region. Heat is also harmful to them, when the water-salt balance is disturbed from increased sweating.

A long-term overfilled bladder has a bad effect on the kidneys. With normal consumption
water, urination should occur up to 6 times a day. Otherwise, the resulting stagnation of urine contributes to the development of inflammatory processes.

For the kidneys, increased, excessive physical exertion, physical overwork are harmful. All this leads to a weakening of their normal work, the development of inflammation.

To keep your kidneys healthy, stop practicing unreasonable diets. They often lead to disruption of metabolic processes, and also provoke the prolapse of the kidney. Also, do not get carried away with too salty or very sweet food. The use of stale foods, self-medication with antibiotics lead to intoxication of the body, overloading the kidneys.

Instead of strong tea, sweet soda, beer and other harmful drinks, make it a rule to drink plain plain but clean water, weakly brewed green tea or dried fruit compote.

Very useful for maintaining the function of the kidneys and the entire excretory system are infusions of medicinal herbs: bearberry leaves, parsley, horsetail, rose hips, corn stigmas. Eat fresh berries and fruits. Especially useful are watermelons, melons. Do not get carried away with mineral water. May your kidneys always remain healthy!

The kidneys are a paired organ, but they are divided into a left and a right organ. If a person loses one during his life, his body lives a normal life, but becomes susceptible to infectious diseases. There is also a congenital pathology in which people are already born. Provided that she is healthy, a person can live a full life. To know what function the kidneys perform, you should pay attention to their structure.

In shape, these organs resemble the fruit of a bean. Normally, they are located between the thoracic and lumbar spine. At the same time, the right one is slightly lower than the left one, since the liver does not allow it to rise higher. Kidneys are measured in length, width, thickness. Normal sizes in an adult are within 12:4:6 centimeters, respectively. There may be deviations of 1.5 centimeters in both directions, this is considered the norm. The weight of one organ varies from 120 to 200 grams.

The kidney is convex on the outside, has an upper and lower poles. From above, it is adjacent to the endocrine gland -. Outside, the organ is shiny, smooth, red. On the inside, it is concave, contains the renal gates. Arteries, nerves enter through them, and veins, lymphatic vessels, the ureter, which flows below into the bladder, exit. The cavity into which the gate leads is called. It is easy to find out how the structure and functions of the urinary system are interconnected if you study in depth the structure of the kidneys.

When considering a longitudinal section, physicians can see that each organ consists of a calyx and a pelvis, as well as a renal substance, which is divided into cortical and cerebral:

• The cortical substance is heterogeneous, has a dark brown color. The structure of this layer includes nephrons, proximal and distal tubules, glomeruli, and Shumlyansky-Bowman capsules. The cortical layer performs the function of primary filtration of urine.
• The medulla has a lighter shade and includes convoluted vessels. They are divided into descending and ascending. Vessels are collected in the likeness of a pyramid. There are only about 20 pyramids in one kidney. They are separated from each other by a cortex. Their bases face the cortical layer, and the renal papillae are located on the upper part. These are the openings for the collecting duct.

In the structure of the medulla, small and large cups are localized, which form the pelvis. The latter passes through the gate of the kidney into the ureter. The structure of the medulla is adapted to remove filtered substances.

Nephron is a functional microunit

One of the main structural units in the structure of the kidney are the nephrons. They are responsible for urination. One excretory organ contains 1 million nephrons. Their number gradually decreases during life, since they do not have the ability to regenerate.

The causes can be diseases of the genitourinary system, mechanical damage to organs. With age, the number of functional microunits also decreases. Approximately 10% every 10 years. But such a loss is not life threatening. The remaining nephrons adapt and continue to maintain the rhythm of the kidneys - to remove excess water and metabolic products from the body.

The nephron contains:

• tangle of capillaries. With its help, fluid is released from the blood;
• a system of long tubes and channels through which filtered primary urine is converted into secondary urine and enters the renal pelvis.

Depending on the location in the cortical substance, they are divided into the following types:

• cortical (located in the cortex of the cortical layer, small, their majority - 80% of all nephrons);
• juxtamedullary (located on the border with the medulla, larger, occupy 20% of the total number of nephrons).

How to find out the organ or system that acts as a filter in the kidneys? A network of convoluted tubules, called the loop of Henle, passes urine through itself, acting as a filter in the kidneys.

What are the kidneys responsible for in the human body? They are responsible for cleaning the blood of toxins and toxins. During the day, more than 200 liters of blood passes through the kidneys. Harmful substances and microorganisms are filtered out and enter the plasma. Then they are transported through the ureters to the bladder and excreted from the body.

Considering how much these organs clean, it is difficult to overestimate the functions of the kidneys in the human body. Without their full-fledged work, people have little chance of a quality life. In the absence of these organs, the patient will need regular artificial blood purification or.

To understand what the kidneys do, it is necessary to analyze their work in more detail. The functions of the human kidneys, depending on the task performed, are divided into several types.

Excretory: the main function of the kidneys is to remove decay products, toxins, harmful microorganisms, and excess water.

• phenols;
• creatinine;
• acetone bodies;
• uric acid;
• amines.

The excretory function performs the following work: secretion, filtration and. Secretion is the removal of substances from the blood. During the filtration process, they enter the urine. Reabsorption is the absorption of beneficial trace elements into the blood.

When the excretory function of the kidneys is impaired, a person develops. This condition can cause serious complications: loss of consciousness, coma, disorders in the circulatory system, death. If it is impossible to restore kidney function, renal hemodialysis is performed to artificially purify the blood.

Endocrine: this function is intended for the production of biologically active substances, which include:

• renin (regulates blood volume, participates in the absorption of sodium; normalizes blood pressure, increases the feeling of thirst);
• prostaglandins (regulate blood flow in the kidneys and throughout the body, stimulate the excretion of sodium along with urine);
• active D3 (a hormone derived from vitamin D3 that regulates calcium absorption);
• erythropoietin (a hormone that controls the process in the bone marrow - erythropoiesis, that is, the production of red blood cells);
• bradykinin (due to this polypeptide, blood vessels expand and pressure decreases).

The endocrine function of the kidneys helps to regulate the basic processes in the human body.

Influence on the process of the body

The essence of the concentration function of the kidneys is that the kidneys do the work of collecting excreted substances and diluting them with water. If the urine is concentrated, it means that there is less liquid than water, and vice versa, when there are fewer substances and more water, the urine is diluted.

The processes of concentration and dilution are independent of each other.

Violation of this function is associated with pathology of the renal tubules. A malfunction in the concentration function of the kidneys can be detected due to renal failure (isostenuria,). For the treatment of deviations, diagnostic measures are carried out, and patients undergo special tests.

Hematopoietic: thanks to the secreted hormone erythropoietin, the circulatory system receives a stimulating signal for the production of red blood cells. With the help of red cells, oxygen penetrates into all cells of the body.

The endocrine function of the kidneys is the production of three hormones (renin, erythropoietin, calcitriol) that affect the functioning of the whole organism.

Osmoregulatory: the work of the kidneys in performing this function is to maintain the required amount of osmotically active blood cells (sodium, potassium ions).

These substances are able to regulate the water exchange of cells by binding water molecules. At the same time, the general water regime of the body is different.

Homeostatic function of the kidneys: the concept of "homeostasis" means the body's ability to independently maintain the uniformity of the internal environment. The homeostatic function of the kidneys is to produce substances that affect hemostasis. Due to the excretion of physiologically active substances, water, peptides, reactions occur in the body that have a restorative effect.

Having figured out what the kidneys are responsible for in the human body, you should pay attention to violations in their work.

Disorders in the work of excretory organs

How are the structure and function of the system related?

There are many diseases of the urinary system. One of the most common is kidney failure, when an organ is unable to perform any functions normally.

But a person can improve their work, for this it is important to follow the recommendations of doctors:

• eat a balanced diet;
• avoid hypothermia;
• do gymnastics and massage;
• visit a doctor on time when symptoms of the disease appear.

Recovery of kidney function is a long process. There are various medicines that help the kidneys work by restoring their functions. For example, drugs: "Canephron", "Baralgin". Additional protection of organs with the Renefort nephroprotector is also used.

In addition, folk and homeopathic remedies will help restore functions. It must be remembered that all therapy should be carried out under the supervision of the attending physician.

The best-known function of the kidneys is to create urine and excrete various toxins with it. This happens due to the purification of the blood during the formation of primary urine and saturation in the second round of already pure blood with oxygen and other useful elements.

There are no superfluous organs in the body, all are needed, and each of them performs several functions and works synchronously with others. Violation in one leads to failures of varying degrees of severity in other organs. What the kidneys are responsible for is that all tissues are clean of toxins, blood pressure is normal, the blood is saturated with the substances it needs. Hormones and enzymes conduct all the work. Directly the work of the body itself is regulated by:

• parathyroid hormone;
• estradiol;
• vasopressin;
• adrenalin;
• aldosterone.

Kidney function is regulated by parathyroid hormone, estradiol, vasopressin, adrenaline and aldosterone

In addition to them, the work of the body is influenced by sympathetic fibers and vagus nerves.

Parathyroid hormone is the parathyroid hormone. It regulates the excretion of salts from the body.

The female hormone estradiol is responsible for the level of phosphorus and calcium salts in the blood. In small quantities, female hormones are produced in men, and vice versa.

Vasopressin is produced by the brain, or rather its small department - the hypothalamus. It regulates the absorption of fluids in the kidneys themselves. When a person drinks water and if it is in excess in the body, the activity of osmoreceptors located in the hypothalamus decreases. The amount of water excreted by the body, on the contrary, increases. If there is not enough water in the body, dehydration begins, the amount of peptide hormones secreted by the brain - vasopressin, sharply increases. Water from the tissues stops being removed. With a head injury, increased urine output is observed, up to 5 liters per day. This means that the hypothalamus is damaged and the production of vasopressin is stopped or greatly reduced.

Vasopressin regulates the process of absorption of fluids in the kidneys themselves

Adrenaline, known as the fear hormone, is produced. It reduces urination. Its increased content in the blood is accompanied by swelling of all tissues, bags under the eyes.

The renal cortex synthesizes the hormone aldosterone. When it is released beyond measure, there is a delay in the body of fluid and sodium. As a result, edema, heart failure, hypertension. With insufficient production of aldosterone in the body, blood volume decreases, as a lot of water and sodium are excreted.

The work of the kidneys in the human body depends on the state of the organ itself, the normal functioning of the thyroid gland, brain, and heart.

The essential functions of the kidneys in the human body are:

• excretory;
• protective;
• endocrine;
• metabolic;
• homeostatic.

The main function of the kidneys is to excrete

The kidney is a unique and perfect filtration station created by nature. Blood is supplied to the organ through a vein, passes through 2 cycles of filtration and is sent back through the artery. Unsuitable liquid waste accumulates in the pelvis and is sent through the ureter to the outside, thrown out.

The main function of the kidney is excretory, more commonly called excretory. During the first passage of blood through the parenchyma, plasma, salts, amino acids and substances are filtered out of it. When the second round is completed, most of the liquid returns to the blood - plasma, useful amino acids, the required amount of salts. Everything else, including toxins, uric and oxalic acid, and substances unsuitable for further processing and use, are excreted along with the water in the pelvis. This is secondary urine, which will be removed through the ureter first into the bladder, then out.

Purification of blood in the kidneys goes through 3 stages.

1. Filtration - when all the water and the elements present in it are removed from the blood that has entered the body.
2. Secretions - the release of substances unnecessary for the body;
3. Reabsorption is the return of amino acids, glucose, proteins, plasma and other substances back into the blood.

As a result, urine is formed, consisting of 5% solids and the rest liquid. When the body is intoxicated with alcohol, food and other products, the kidneys work with an increased load, trying to remove as many harmful alcohols and other substances as possible. At this time, more urine is formed due to the removal of the necessary fluid from the tissues and blood plasma.

In addition to the excretory function, the rest are less noticeable, but just as important for the body. The body regulates ionic processes and the amount of fluid in the tissues, controls ionic processes, the level of hemoglobin in the blood.

Protective - associated with the removal of foreign and dangerous substances from the outside into the urine and out:

• nicotine;
• drugs;
• alcohol;
• medications;
• exotic and spicy dishes.

The kidneys regulate ionic processes and the amount of fluid in the tissues, control ionic processes, the level of hemoglobin in the blood

With constant increased stress on the kidneys, they may not be able to cope with blood purification, the excretory function is disturbed. Part of the toxins and viruses remain in the blood, causing various diseases, from poisoning to hypertension and cirrhosis.

Endocrine function is indicated by the participation of the kidneys in the synthesis of hormones and enzymes:

• erythropoietin;
• calcitrol;
• renin;
• prostaglandins.

Electropoietin and calcitrol are hormones produced by the kidneys. The former have a stimulating effect on the creation of blood by the bone marrow, in particular red blood cells, hemoglobin. The second regulates the exchange of calcium in the body.

The enzyme renin regulates the amount of blood that circulates in the body.

Prostaglandins are responsible for regulating blood pressure. Therefore, when the kidneys fail, the pressure always jumps.

When the kidneys fail, the pressure always jumps

The metabolic function of the kidneys is due to the participation in the exchange and breakdown of:

• carbohydrates;
• lipids;
• amino acids;
• proteins;
• peptides.

During starvation, they participate in gluconeogenesis, breaking down carbohydrate stores. In addition, vitamin D completes its transformation in the kidneys into D3, the active form. The lack of this vitamin leads to rickets.

Homeostatic function - regulation by the kidneys of blood volume in the body, interstitial fluid. The kidneys remove excess protons and bicarbonate ions from the blood plasma and thus affect the amount of fluid in the body, its ionic composition.

The main signs of impaired kidney function

The kidneys are a modest organ that does not have pain and pronounced symptoms during the disease. Only when sharp stones move from their place and, injuring the walls, they try to get out, or block the ducts and the pelvis begins to burst from urine, pain and pain appear.

Many believe that the only function of the kidneys in the human body is to produce and excrete it.

In fact, these paired organs simultaneously perform several tasks, and with a pronounced disruption of the kidneys, serious pathological consequences can develop, which in a neglected form can lead to death.

Why are they needed and what functions do they perform in the body?

This is necessary so that pathogenic bacteria do not develop in the blood, for which an environment with an acid-base balance level above or below 7.4 units is favorable.

Also, the kidneys help maintain the level of water-salt balance in the blood, in case of violation of which failures occur in the work of all vital systems of the body.

How do they work?

kidneys are supplied with blood through large vessels, suitable for organs from the sides. Liquids, toxic breakdown products of various elements and other substances that must be removed from the body also enter through these vessels.

Through these vessels, which branch into small capillaries inside the kidneys, such fluids pass into the renal capsules, forming the primary urinary fluid. Further, such urine passes from the glomeruli formed by these capillaries to the pelvis.

Not all fluid that enters the kidneys is excreted: part of it is blood, which, after passing through the tissues of the kidneys, is cleansed and discharged through other capillaries into the renal vein, and from there into the general circulatory system.

The circulation of such fluids occurs constantly, and during the day both kidneys drive through themselves up to 170 liters of primary urine, and since it is impossible to remove such an amount, part of the liquid is reabsorbed.

During this process, all the beneficial components contained in it are filtered out as much as possible, which are combined with the blood before it leaves the kidneys.

If for some reason even a minor violation of such functions occurs - the following problems are possible:

• increased blood pressure;
• the risk of infection and subsequent inflammatory processes increases;
• internal bleeding in the stomach and intestines;
• decrease in the level of production of sex hormones;
• development .

In case of serious acute violations of the functioning of the organs, the development of necrosis extending to the cortical layer is possible.

Progression is also possible, in which specific symptoms can be observed in the form of tremors of the limbs, convulsions, anemia. This increases the risk of stroke and heart attack, and in the worst case, death is possible.

How to check if there are violations?

Usually impaired renal function immediately visible on the outside. These are swelling of the lower eyelids, urination disorders, general malaise. But sometimes such manifestations are absent, and it is possible to check the functionality of the kidneys only during the examination.

This diagnosis includes the following procedures:

• . The results may show the presence of bodies, proteins, salts and compounds, the presence of which is characteristic of inflammation of the renal apparatus.
• X-ray study. Allows you to visually assess the condition of the tissues of the kidneys. The procedure is performed using a contrast agent, which “highlights” the kidney tissue in the pictures.
• . It is performed to assess the condition of the renal structures and can be carried out both for medical reasons and during the annual preventive examination. Also, the method allows you to track violations of the urinary tract.
• If there are indications or suspicions of a violation of the functionality of the kidneys, procedures can be performed, computer and. Such studies allow us to examine specific parts of the organ with high accuracy and study it in different projections.

Restore and improve the functioning of the body

In case of impaired renal function and, if necessary, to improve their work, no specific therapeutic methods are used.

On the human side, all that is required is follow certain recommendations:

Under these conditions, you can not worry about the normal functioning of the kidneys.

But even if a person leads a healthy lifestyle, it is necessary to be regularly examined by a specialist.

The origin of some kidney pathologies is still a mystery to specialists, and sometimes diseases occur without any prerequisites, and in the advanced stage, the treatment of such organs is always long and problematic, and often pathological processes are irreversible.

What do the kidneys do in the human body - see the video:

One of the important filtration organs in the human body is the kidneys. This paired organ is located in the retroperitoneal space, namely on the posterior surface of the abdominal cavity in the lumbar region on both sides of the spine. The right organ is anatomically located slightly lower than the left. Many of us believe that the only function of the kidneys is to produce and excrete urine. However, in addition to the excretory function, the kidneys have many other tasks. In our article, we will take a closer look at what the kidneys do.

Peculiarities

Each kidney is surrounded by a sheath of connective and adipose tissue. Normally, the dimensions of the organ are as follows: width - no more than 60 mm, length - about 10-12 cm, thickness - no more than 4 cm. The weight of one kidney reaches 200 g, which is half a percent of the total weight of a person. In this case, the body consumes oxygen in the amount of 10% of the total oxygen demand of the body.

Despite the fact that normally there should be two kidneys, a person can live with one organ. Often, one or even three kidneys are present from birth. If, after the loss of one organ, the second copes with the double assigned load, then a person can fully exist, but he needs to beware of infections and heavy physical exertion.

The structure and formation of urine

Nephrons are responsible for the work of the kidneys - the main structural unit of the body. Each kidney has about a million nephrons. They are responsible for the production of urine. To understand what function the kidneys perform, it is necessary to understand the structure of the nephron. Each structural unit contains a body with a capillary glomerulus inside, surrounded by a capsule, which consists of two layers. The inner layer consists of epithelial cells, and the outer layer consists of tubules and a membrane.

Various functions of the human kidneys are realized due to the fact that nephrons are of three types, depending on the structure of their tubules and the location:

• Intracortical.
• Surface.
• Juxtamedullary.

The main artery is responsible for transporting blood to the organ, which inside the kidney is divided into arterioles, each of which brings blood to the renal glomerulus. There is also an arteriole that drains blood from the glomerulus. Its diameter is smaller than that of the adductor arteriole. Due to this, the necessary pressure is constantly maintained inside the glomerulus.

In the kidneys, there is always constant blood flow even against the background of increased pressure. A significant reduction in blood flow occurs with kidney disease, due to severe stress or severe blood loss.

The main function of the kidneys is the secretion of urine. This process is possible due to glomerular filtration, subsequent tubular secretion and reabsorption. The formation of urine in the kidneys occurs as follows:

1. First, blood plasma components and water are filtered through a three-layer glomerular filter. Formed plasma elements and proteins easily pass through this filtering layer. Filtration is carried out due to constant pressure in the capillaries inside the glomeruli.
2. Primary urine accumulates inside the collecting cups and tubules. Nutrients and fluids are absorbed from this physiological primary urine.
3. Next, tubular secretion is carried out, namely the procedure for cleaning the blood from unnecessary substances and transporting them into the urine.

Regulation of kidney activity

Hormones have a certain effect on the excretory functions of the kidney, namely:

1. Adrenaline, produced by the adrenal glands, is needed to reduce urination.
2. Aldosterone is a special steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex. The lack of this hormone leads to dehydration, salt imbalance and a decrease in blood volume. An excess of the hormone aldosterone contributes to the retention of salt and fluid in the body. This in turn leads to edema, heart failure and hypertension.
3. Vasopressin is synthesized by the hypothalamus and is a peptide hormone that regulates fluid absorption in the kidneys. After drinking a large amount of water or when its content in the body is exceeded, the activity of the hypothalamus receptors decreases, which contributes to an increase in the volume of fluid excreted by the kidneys. With a lack of water in the body, the activity of receptors increases, which in turn leads to a decrease in urine secretion.

Important: against the background of damage to the hypothalamus, the patient has increased diuresis (up to 5 liters of urine per day).

1. Parahormone is produced by the thyroid gland and regulates the process of removing salts from the human body.
2. Estradiol is considered a female sex hormone that regulates the level of phosphorus and calcium salts in the body.

renal functions

The following functions of the kidneys in the human body can be listed:

• homeostatic;
• excretory or excretory;
• metabolic;
• protective;
• endocrine.

excretory

The excretory role of the kidneys is to filter the blood, cleanse it of metabolic products and remove them from the body. At the same time, the blood is cleared of creatinine, urea, and various toxins, such as ammonia. Various unnecessary organic compounds (amino acids and glucose), mineral salts that entered the body with food are also removed. The kidneys excrete excess fluid. The excretory function involves the processes of filtration, reabsorption, and renal secretion.

At the same time, 1500 liters of blood are filtered through the kidneys in one day. Moreover, approximately 175 liters of primary urine are immediately filtered. But since fluid absorption occurs, the amount of primary urine is reduced to 500 ml - 2 liters and is excreted through the urinary system. At the same time, urine is 95 percent liquid, and the remaining five percent is dry matter.

Attention: in case of violation of the excretory function of the organ, the accumulation of toxic substances and metabolic products in the blood occurs, which leads to general intoxication of the body and subsequent problems.

Homeostatic and metabolic functions

Do not underestimate the importance of the kidneys in regulating the volume of intercellular fluid and blood in the human body. Also, this organ is involved in the regulation of ionic balance, removing excess ions and protons of bicarbonate from the blood plasma. It is able to maintain the required volume of fluid in our body by adjusting the ionic composition.

Paired organs are involved in the breakdown of peptides and amino acids, as well as in the metabolism of lipids, proteins, carbohydrates. It is in this organ that ordinary vitamin D is transformed into its active form, namely vitamin D3, which is necessary for the normal absorption of calcium. Also, the kidneys are an active participant in protein synthesis.

Endocrine and protective functions

The kidneys are an active participant in the synthesis of the following substances and compounds necessary for the body:

• renin is a substance that promotes the production of angiotensin 2, which has a vasoconstrictive effect and regulates blood pressure;
• calcitriol is a special hormone that regulates calcium metabolism in the body;
• erythropoietin is necessary for the formation of bone marrow cells;
• prostaglandins are substances involved in the regulation of blood pressure.

As for the protective function of the body, it is associated with the removal of toxic substances from the body. These include some drugs, ethyl alcohol, narcotic substances, including nicotine.

Prevention of violations of renal activity

Overweight, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and some chronic diseases affect the functioning of the kidneys in a negative way. For them, hormonal drugs and nephrotoxic drugs are harmful. The activity of the body may suffer due to a sedentary lifestyle, as this will contribute to the disruption of salt and water metabolism. It can also lead to the deposition of kidney stones. Causes of kidney failure include:

• traumatic shock;
• infectious diseases;
• poisoning with poisons;
• violation of the outflow of urine.

For the normal functioning of the body, it is useful to drink 2 liters of liquid per day. It is useful to drink berry fruit drinks, green tea, purified non-mineral water, parsley decoction, weak tea with lemon and honey. All these drinks are a good prevention of stone deposition. Also, to preserve the health of the body, it is better to give up salty foods, alcoholic and carbonated drinks, coffee.