The word “nephrology” comes from the Greek word nephros, which means kidney. This is a branch of medicine that deals mainly with the study of a person’s kidneys. Nephrologists are doctors who specialize in this field of medicine and can determine the causes and treatment for conventional kidney problems. Your kidneys play a very important role in determining your health. All the liquids and fluids in your body are passed and filtered through the kidneys. The kidneys are also responsible for extracting waste from a person’s blood and balancing body fluid. Here are the core actions of the kidneys that nephrologists study in detail.
Waste Excretion
There is a plethora of toxins in our bodies, both environmental and metabolic, that must be safely filtered out and excreted. Urea, an example of a waste product that’s rich in nitrogen, is created in the body due to normal cellular metabolic processes. Urea is first synthesized within the liver, and is then transported through the bloodstream into the kidneys for removal. Excreting the waste from the bloodstream is a job for the kidneys. Waste is removed from the blood and is then excreted from the body.
Balancing Water Levels
The kidneys play a very important role in filtering out unnecessary chemicals that is then expelled through the urine. Much of the function of your kidneys is dependent on the levels of water in your body. As the water levels vary throughout the day in a person’s body, the function of the kidneys does too. When there is an excessive level of water in the body, the kidneys will filter it out, whereas when there is limited water in the system, the kidneys will work to reabsorb some of the water back into the body.
Regulating Blood Pressure
This may come as a surprise to most, but nephrology also plays an important role in regulating the body’s blood pressure. Your kidneys are constantly working in order to filter the blood and remove all harmful substances from it. The kidneys need pressure in order for the filtration to work. If the blood pressure falls below a certain threshold, the kidneys often increase the pressure by producing an enzyme called renin. This causes blood vessels to constrict and blood pressure to rise.
A nephrologist carefully studies the functions of the kidneys and then learns about how to diagnose and treat common problems. Nephrologists have a very important job, and most of them are highly paid in the world of medicine.
