How Do the Kidney & Bladder Work Togother?

The Urinary System

The human digestive system sorts out needed nutrients and sends them off in the bloodstream to grow and maintain cells throughout the body. Unprocessed solids left in the stomach are eliminated through the intestines. Nutrients absorbed through the lining of the stomach travel throughout the body by blood, which collects waste and carries it to the kidneys. The kidneys and bladder serve as gatekeepers at either end of the urinary system. The kidneys admit exhausted blood, removing waste called urea (which comes from the breakdown of food proteins), drugs and other toxins from the blood. Tubes called ureters connect the kidneys to the bladder. Gravity and muscles guide the liquid, which was diluted with water and now called urine, to the bladder. The bladder is a flexible storage organ that expels liquid waste from the body through the urethra. When both kidney and bladder are healthy, the urinary system not only eliminates waste, but also provides water and facilitates the distribution of minerals throughout the body.

The Regulators

Once the kidneys cleanse the blood, they then adjust the blood's chemical balance and send it back to continue carrying nourishment throughout the body. In addition to this balancing act, the kidneys produce and add hormones that create red blood cells and oxygen to the blood. If something goes wrong in the kidneys, toxins and other contaminants can reach the bladder, which has no defense against them. If kidneys stones---calcification of minerals in the urea---block the opening to the ureters, the bladder is unable to excrete fluid waste. By the same token, bladder infections and injury or disease affect the ability of the urinary system to drain properly. When the kidneys or bladder malfunction, urine and urea backs up putting the entire system at risk.

Threats

The kidneys perform an essential life function, so each body has a backup system with two kidneys. If total functionality falls below a certain level, wastes circulate through the kidneys and back into the blood. Drugs, too much salt, or even the carbon dioxide in soda can impair efficiency. High blood pressure and diabetes can contribute to chronic kidney disease. Bladder infections including interstitial cystitis (more common in women) or urinary tract infections can also affect the work of the kidneys. According to the National Cancer Institute, smoking, exposure to certain workplace chemicals and heredity are major causes of bladder cancer, the sixth most common cancer.

References

• Virginia Health System
• Medline Plus

Resources

• Your Urinary System and How It Works
• American Urological Foundation