The Kidneys & Pancreas

The Kidneys

Sophisticated reprocessing machines, the kidneys are bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist, located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage. Everyday, the kidneys play a major part in maintaining the body’s internal environment, processing about 200 quarts of waste products and extra water, which are excreted as urine.

The kidneys:

monitor blood volume

filter the blood and form urine

regulate water, electrolyte and acid base balance

produce and metabolize some hormones

balance the amount of calcium, sodium and potassium present in blood

produce hormones that regulate blood pressure

stimulate the production of energy-rich red blood cells

At rest, an estimated 20% of blood output from the heart flows through the kidneys where it is filtered and reconditioned.

When the kidney’s fail, it is known as renal failure.

The Pancreas

The pancreas is a small organ, approximately six inches long, located in the upper abdomen, and connected to the small intestine. Because it is deep inside the body, it can make diagnosis of pancreas problems and disease difficult.

The pancreas is an essential organ in the body’s digestive process in two ways:

• produces the enzymes necessary to digest protein, fat and carbohydrates so that they can be absorbed through the intestine
• produces the endocrine cells that produce insulin which regulates the use and storage of the body’s main energy source: glucose or sugar.

How the kidneys and the pancreas work together

When the pancreas stops producing insulin, the patient becomes diabetic and the long term affects of high glucose can eventually effect the kidneys. A pancreas transplant can help to decrease the effects of diabetes.

Related Links:

www.unos.org