Preventing and treating kidney disease: Start by knowing your kidneys!
In recent years, the incidence of kidney disease has been increasing and has become a major global public health problem. Although its incidence is high, it has an insidious onset and is not easily detected at an early stage. In this article, we discuss the developmental and anatomical features of the kidney.
Developmental history of the kidney
Kidney location and size
The kidneys are located on both sides of the spine, close to the posterior abdominal wall. Due to the right lobe of the liver, the right kidney is generally slightly lower than the left kidney. Normal kidneys are about 10-14 cm long in adult males and 9-13 cm in females, 3-5 cm wide, and weigh 150g. The left kidney is usually slightly larger than the right kidney. Kidney lengths in children are as follows.
➤ 0-2 months: 5 cm
➤ 2 months-6 months: 5.7 cm
➤ 6 months-1 year: 6.2 cm
➤ 1 year-5 years: 7.3 cm
➤ 5 years-10 years: 8.5 cm
➤ 10 years-15 years: 10 cm
➤ 15 years and older: same as adults
Kidney structure
The kidney is shaped like a fava bean, with upper and lower poles, and the middle part is the middle pole. There is a fibrous membrane outside the kidney, and the perirenal fat further out.
The kidney itself can be divided into the renal parenchyma (including the cortex and medulla) and the renal sinuses (including the renal pelvis, calyces, renal vessels, nerves, lymphatics and perirenal fat). The renal cortex encloses the renal medulla, which contains 10-14 renal vertebrae. The renal hilum is the entrance to the renal sinus and is located medially in the anterior aspect of the kidney. It includes the renal vessels, nerves, fat and renal pelvis.
Functions of the kidneys
➤ Filter blood, excrete metabolites such as water, minerals and proteins, and produce urine
➤ Regulate blood pressure
➤ Regulate water, osmolarity, and pH
➤ Participate in vitamin D and red blood cell (RBC) production
Kidney function tests
➤ Estimate glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)
➤ Electrolytes
➤ Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
➤ Creatinine level
Renal blood supply
The renal artery originates from the abdominal aorta and supplies blood to the kidney via the renal hilum.
Compiled by Medical Pulse from: radiopaedia.org