The Urinary System is a group of organs in the body concerned with filtering out excess fluid and other substances from the bloodstream. The organs included in the urinary system are the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. The kidneys are two bean-shaped, reddish brown organs about the size of your fist. The renal capsule, a tough capsule of fibrous connective tissue, covers the kidneys. The ribcage protects the kidneys which are located in the back just above the waistline. There are three major parts of the kidney: renal cortex, renal medulla, and the renal pelvis. The renal cortex is the outer layer. The renal medulla is the inner region. And the renal pelvis is a basin-like area in the central part of the kidney. The ureters are tubes that drain urine from the kidneys to the bladder. The ureters send the urine in small spurts into the bladder, then small fold in the bladder mucosa act like valves preventing backward flow of urine into the kidneys. The bladder is a hallow, muscular, elastic organ that sits on the pelvic floor. The bladder can hold up to 18 ounces of urine in a healthy bladder. Urine is temporarily stored in the bladder. The urethra is a muscular tube that connects the bladder with the outside of the body and main job is to remove urine from the bladder. Women tend to have more urinary tract infections than men. This is due to men having a longer urethra than women. The males urethra is about eight inches long while a females is only about one-two inches long.
The Filtration of Urine:
There are a number of conditions that can affect the urinary system. Some types of kidney conditions are glomerulonephritis, nephrolithiasis, renal failure, and renal hypertension. Some associated conditions are diabetes insipidus and diabetes mellitus. Glomerulonephritis is inflammation of the kidney glomerulus. There are two types of glomerulonephritis, poststreptococcal and chronic. Poststreptococcal