The Renal System Flashcards
What is the function of the renal system?
The system processes and gets rid of the body’s normal metabolic waste
Maintain homeostasis in the body by controlling blood pressure and volume
List the structure of the renal system?
Two kidneys
Two ureters
The bladder
The urethra
Where are the kidneys located?
These lie on either side of the spine at the top of the lumbar region and the bottom of the thoracic region.
What is the function of the kidneys?
The kidneys filter out impurities from the blood as well as regulate the salt and water balance, produce urine, control the pH balance and control the fluid balance
What is the function of the two ureters?
These are the thin tubes that take the urine from the kidneys to the bladder
Where is the bladder located?
This is situated in the pelvic region.
What is the function of the bladder?
Urine is collected and stored until it is ready to be released.
What is the function of the urethra?
This takes the urine from the bladder to the outside of the body.
Urination is know as what?
Micturition
What is the composition of urine?
95% water
5% chemical compounds
What happens if you have an excess of water in the blood?
The nerve receptors in the hypothalamus will trigger the pituitary gland to secrete the home ADH. This carries messages to the kidneys to produce more diluted urine.
What does ADH stand for?
Anti-diuretic hormone
What happens if we become dehydrated?
The nerve receptors in the hypothalamus trigger the pituitary gland to send a message to the kidneys to produce more concentrated urine and reabsorb more water back into the body.
What Ph level should the blood be?
7.35 and 7.45
How many nephrons does the kidney contain?
over 1 million nephrons
What is the function of the renal artery?
To bring blood to the kidneys to be “cleaned”
What is the function of the renal vein?
Returns blood that is cleaned (Low urea content, no glucose)
What is the function of a nephron?
Pressure filtration
Reabsorption of Water
Excretion
List some common pathologies of the renal system
Cystitis
Nephritis
Renal Failure
What is a nephron?
An independent filtering and urine-processing unit
What is the nephrons structure include?
A renal corpuscle Glomerulus Bowman’s capsule loop of Henle proximal convoluted tubule distal convoluted tubule
What is the name of the tiny capillaries contained in the renal corpuscle?
The glomerulus
What is osmosis?
A process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one
What is a metabolic waste?
Metabolic wastes are substances produced by the metabolic activities of living organisms. These substances cannot be used by the organism and are therefore excreted.
What is the difference between the urethra of a man and a woman?
The urethra is shorter in women that in men. In men it also has a reproductive function.
How much urine can your bladder store?
Approx 600ml
How do the ureters transport urine from the kidney’s to the bladder?
By Peristalsis - Muscles in the ureter walls tighten and relax and force the urine downwards to the bladder.
What is oedema?
Fluid retention in the tissues of the body
