URINARY SYSTEM
URINARY SYSTEM
This system consists of the KIDNEYS, URETERS, URETHRA, and BLADDER.
Not many structures, but very important.
Functions:
1. Regulate electrolytes (K, Na, etc) in body
2. Regulate pH in blood
3. Regulate blood pressure
4. Regulate blood volume
5. Removing metabolic wastes (chemicals produces by chemical reactions in the body are excreted). This is the least important of the kidney’s functions. You can survive for a few weeks without excreting waste products in the urine, but hour by hour, the other functions are more important.
UREA
Urea is a waste product of amino acid metabolism. Remember, proteins are made of amino acids, so when you break down proteins, you break down amino acids, and the waste product left over is urea. This is the main waste product in urine.
COLOR OF URINE
When you urinate, it should be mostly clear with almost no yellow color. The more yellow the urine is, the more dehydrated you are. If the urine is very dark yellow, you are burning too much protein (as in food deprivation).
URETERS
These are long tubes that transport urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder. It comes in at the base of the urinary bladder, not the top. As the bladder fills, it presses down on the ureters to prevent urine from backing up into the kidneys.
URINARY BLADDER
The function is to store urine to permit controlled urination. The structure has folds =
RUGAE which allow for expansion. You can hold up to one liter of urine, although at 500ml, you’ll be dancing. The function of the urinary bladder is just to store urine. There is a sphincter that keeps the urine in, and it’s made of skeletal muscle, so it is under voluntary control.
The URETHRA connects the urinary bladder to the outside of the body. Don’t get urethra and ureters mixed up!
The length differs from males to females:
Females: 4cm
Males 20 cm (varies with mood)
Because females have a much shorter urethra, they are more susceptible to bladder infections.
PROBLEMS WITH THE
This system consists of the KIDNEYS, URETERS, URETHRA, and BLADDER.
Not many structures, but very important.
Functions:
1. Regulate electrolytes (K, Na, etc) in body
2. Regulate pH in blood
3. Regulate blood pressure
4. Regulate blood volume
5. Removing metabolic wastes (chemicals produces by chemical reactions in the body are excreted). This is the least important of the kidney’s functions. You can survive for a few weeks without excreting waste products in the urine, but hour by hour, the other functions are more important.
UREA
Urea is a waste product of amino acid metabolism. Remember, proteins are made of amino acids, so when you break down proteins, you break down amino acids, and the waste product left over is urea. This is the main waste product in urine.
COLOR OF URINE
When you urinate, it should be mostly clear with almost no yellow color. The more yellow the urine is, the more dehydrated you are. If the urine is very dark yellow, you are burning too much protein (as in food deprivation).
URETERS
These are long tubes that transport urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder. It comes in at the base of the urinary bladder, not the top. As the bladder fills, it presses down on the ureters to prevent urine from backing up into the kidneys.
URINARY BLADDER
The function is to store urine to permit controlled urination. The structure has folds =
RUGAE which allow for expansion. You can hold up to one liter of urine, although at 500ml, you’ll be dancing. The function of the urinary bladder is just to store urine. There is a sphincter that keeps the urine in, and it’s made of skeletal muscle, so it is under voluntary control.
The URETHRA connects the urinary bladder to the outside of the body. Don’t get urethra and ureters mixed up!
The length differs from males to females:
Females: 4cm
Males 20 cm (varies with mood)
Because females have a much shorter urethra, they are more susceptible to bladder infections.
PROBLEMS WITH THE