Chronic Kidney Disease Overview

Many patients are troubled by Chronic Kidney Disease. Now, let’s get an overview about it. Please follow me.


Normal kidneys and kidney function


The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs that lie on either side of the spine in the lower middle of the back. Each kidney weighs about ¼ pound and contains approximately one million filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron is made of a glomerulus and a tubule. The glomerulus is a miniature filtering or sieving device while the tubule is a tiny tube like structure attached to the glomerulus.
The kidneys are connected to the urinary bladder by tubes called ureters. Urine is stored in the urinary bladder until the bladder is emptied by urinating. The bladder is connected to the outside of the body by another tube like structure called the urethra.


The functions of chronic kidney Disease


The kidneys also produce certain hormones that have important functions in the body, including the following:


Active form of vitamin D (calcitriol or 1,25 dihydroxy-vitamin D), which regulates absorption of calcium and phosphorus from foods, promoting formation of strong bone.


Erythropoietin (EPO), which stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells.


Renin, which regulates blood volume and blood pressure.



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