Important role of the kidney to the body

The kidneys not only produce urine. Although the kidneys are relatively small, they play a central role in human metabolism. This is for example illustrated by the fact that they are traversed by a quarter of the cardiac output. As Herzminutenvoulmen refers to the amount of blood the heart pumps per minute. It is generally known that the kidneys have the task to prepare the urine and excrete. The word Ham is synonymous with the word urine. The origin of the word urine Old High German. The "haran" word meaning "Retired". But the functions of the kidneys, however, are much more varied and complex.


The balance of the metabolism in the body is highly dependent on the function of the kidneys.
The main functions of the kidneys are:

    Excretion of metabolic end products, primarily from the protein metabolism
    Excretion of xenobiotics such as drugs and environmental toxins that have entered the food in the body.
    Regulation of electrolyte concentration in the body
    Regulation and maintenance of a constant water content and osmotic pressure
    Maintaining the acid-base balance
    Regulation of blood pressure
    Conversion of vitamin D precursor into the active vitamin D hormone calcitriol. Calcitriol, the active end product of vitamin D. Vitamin D regulates together with thyroid hormones and parathyroid glands to calcium metabolism. It is absorbed from the diet, our body but it can also produce itself. To be effective, vitamin D must be chemically transformed. This occurs in the liver and under the influence of UV in the skin. Then it goes to the kidneys. There it is converted into its active form calcitriol final and released into the blood as an active hormone. Calcitriol acts primarily in the gut and the kidney itself in the intestine, it promotes the absorption of calcium from the diet, in the kidney, it inhibits calcium excretion. Finally, it causes the incorporation of calcium into the bone. The calcium concentration in the blood has an effect rückkoppelnde. At a low concentration of calcitriol increases the secretion, at high concentration decreases the secretion of calcitriol.
    Formation of the enzyme renin, which in the regulation of blood pressure and electrolyte balance plays an important role.
    Formation of the hormone erythropoietin. Erythropoietin regulates the oxygen content of the blood and stimulates the production of red blood cells (erythrocytes) to. This is done by the kidney that monitors the oxygen content in blood. When the oxygen concentration in the blood is distributed erythropoietin. By the erythropoietin chef Mark is signaled to produce more red blood cells. Because the red blood cells carry oxygen, thereby increasing the concentration of oxygen in the blood again.