Amazing Facts Of Human Kidney

Facts About Human Kidneys

Once a person reaches the age of 40, the number of functional nephrons present in each kidney start falling at a rate of 1% a year.

Despite the decline in the number of functional nephrons in kidneys after the age of 40, the kidneys continue to function normally because the nephrons have a tendency of enlarging once the demise begins.

If the nephrons in both kidneys are taken out and placed end to end horizontally, they will cover a distance of 16 KM.

If one kidney is taken away and the functional capacity of the other kidney is reduced to just 75 Percent, it can still sustain life. This happens because the nephrons are capable of enlarging and handling excess load. This is known as hypertrophy.

Kidneys are responsible for maintaining a constant amount of fluid in the body. The entire blood in the body gets filtered around 400 times in a day through the kidneys.

 When dehydration sets in, kidneys stop producing enough urine until hydration is restored and blood volume increases.

If the oxygen content of the blood falls, the kidneys can sense that as well. Once the kidneys sense a lack of oxygen, they create a hormone which triggers increased production of red blood cells. RBCs are responsible for carrying oxygen. As RBC count increases, the oxygen content of the blood also increases.

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