The kidneys and body balance. Overview.




1 of 6

Overview

Picture 1. A healthy kidney.

Humans have two kidneys. They are complex organs that are vital for life. The kidneys’ main job is to regulate the amount of water lost from the body. They also get rid of waste products, especially a nitrogen-containing compound called urea. At the same time they hold on to useful substances like sodium and potassium compounds.

What do the kidneys do?
	The kidneys regulate your body’s water needs and balance the concentration of the blood. About 180 litres of water filters through your kidneys every day, but only about 1.5 litres finally leaves your body as urine.
Contents
	There are 6 pages in this electronic resource (e-source): Structure and function How the kidney works Problems with kidneys What is dialysis? Quiz

Using this e-source

There are a number of interactive features in this e-source:

A glossary of terms: any word with a glossary entry is highlighted like that. Clicking on the word will open a new window with a definition of that word.

Quick questions: at the end of e-source, there is a set of quick questions to test your understanding of the scientific ideas.

Roll over diagrams: many of the diagrams have highlights or sequences. You can see these by rolling your cursor over part of the picture or part of the text. The text has a roll over highlight like that.