How awesome is this closeup view of the nephron?
The red structure on top is called the glomerulus, tiny units within the kidney that are responsible for cleaning our blood, and the gold structure connected to the glomerulus is called the tubule. Would you believe that each of our kidneys contains about one million of these nephrons? They help our kidneys filter approximately 180 liters of blood daily, creating an intimate relationship with our circulation, blood pressure, and our heart’s cardiac output making the heart and our kidneys excellent teammates. This is part of the reason your doctor will always check your body’s renal function if there is any issues with heart function.
With a healthy kidney, animals and humans may survive in extreme conditions such as being trapped in a collapsed mine or the rubbles of earthquakes for days without ingestion of any water and food, conserving water while still excreting waste products – making the pee super concentrated and darker in color. Conversely, rapid ingestion of large quantity of fluid and electrolytes in a short period of time leads to marked diuresis and natriuresis – peeing out the extra water and fluids. Thus, the kidney has the unique capacity to precisely adjust the urinary excretion of electrolytes and fluid in order to match our diet and fluid intake.
For our medical nerds, there are many diseases that can affect kidney function by attacking the glomeruli. Glomerular diseases fall into two major categories: glomerulonephritis (inflammation) and glomerulosclerosis (the scarring or hardening of the glomerulus – commonly seen in patients who suffer from diabetes). With this in our minds today, let’s take a second to appreciate these wonderful structures, because without them, we could not enjoy each and every day.
Written by: Navpreet Singh Badesha
©05/18/2018 All Rights Reserved.
To learn more about the nephron, please visit the National Library of Medicine.
