Structure of Kidney

Structure of the Kidney

Each person has two kidneys, located on either side of the spine, just below the rib cage. They are bean-shaped and roughly the size of a fist.
The kidneys are important organs that perform various crucial tasks, including filtering waste products, drugs, and toxins out of the blood.
Each kidney is made up of over a million tiny units called nephrons, which are the functional units where the filtration of blood occurs.
Kindeys are surrounded by three layers: an outer fibrous layer called the renal capsule, a fatty layer known as adipose capsule for protection, and an inner layer of smooth muscle tissue - the renal fascia - that helps to maintain the kidneys’ position.

Inside the Kidney

Once you look inside a kidney, there are two main parts you need to know: the renal cortex and renal medulla.
The outer section, the renal cortex, is where the majority of the nephrons are located. It is a light-colored, granular layer.
Inside the cortex is the renal medulla which consists of several cone-shaped renal pyramids. The bases face the cortex and the renal papillae are pointed towards the renal pelvis.
The renal pyramids contain the tubules of the nephrons and are where the formation of urine begins.
The renal pelvis is a funnel-shaped space in the kidney that collects the urine produced and passes it to the ureter, from where it flows down to the bladder.

Nephrons

As previously mentioned, nephrons are the functional units of the kidneys, there are about one million nephrons in each kidney.
Each nephron begins with a glomerulus - a ball of capillaries where filtration takes place.
This is connected to a long, coiled tube called the renal tubule, where the filtered liquid (urine) is produced.
The two main parts of a nephron are the renal corpuscle (consisting of the glomerulus and Bowman’s capsule) and the renal tubule.

In understanding the anatomy of the kidney, you’re making a crucial step toward understanding how our bodies remove waste and keep our system clean - it’s an incredible process. In the health and social care context, this knowledge is vital as kidneys are often organs that may need medical attention.