By exchanging hydronium ions and hydroxyl ions, the blood plasma is maintained by the kidney at a near neutral pH 7.4.
Just as the kidney performs a function for the whole body, removing waste products, it in turn benefits from the other systems in terms of its own maintenance.
Blood from these capillaries collects in renal venules and leaves the kidney via the renal vein.
The right kidney sits just below the liver, while the left one is below the diaphragm and adjacent to the spleen.
Upon entering the hilum of the kidney, the renal artery divides into smaller interlobar arteries situated between the renal papillae.
Each kidney receives its blood supply from the renal artery, two of which branch from the abdominal aorta.
The asymmetry within the abdominal cavity caused by the liver results in the right kidney to be slightly lower than the left one.
The outer portion of the kidney is called the renal cortex, which sits directly beneath the kidney's loose connective tissue/fibrous capsule.
On this medial aspect of each kidney is an opening called the hilum, which admits the renal artery, the renal vein, nerves, and the ureter.
Surgical removal of the kidney is a nephrectomy, while a radical nephrectomy is removal of the kidney, its surrounding tissue, lymph nodes, and potentially the adrenal gland.
The basic functional unit of the kidney is the nephron, of which there are more than a million within the cortex and medulla of each normal adult human kidney.
Both vomiting and laxative abuse lead to electrolyte imbalances which affect the heart rate and the function of other major organs, including the kidneys. Like individuals with anorexia, people with untreated bulimia are at risk of heart failure, kidney failure and death.
Kidneys. Acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, nephrolithiasis and electrolyte abnormalities are all complications caused by anorexia nervosa.13. A lowered intake of nutrients from purging can lead to kidney stones or even kidney failure 14.