Last Updated on Nov 27, 2023
Components of the Urinary System
- The urinary system comprises the kidneys, ureter, urinary bladder, and urethra (1✔ ✔Trusted Source
Components of the Urinary System
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Kidneys
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The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that are reddish brown in colour. Each kidney is around the size of a fist (2✔ ✔Trusted Source
Kidneys
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If one kidney is damaged or removed, the other kidney may grow and perform up to 75% of normal kidney function (2✔ ✔Trusted Source
Kidneys
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Nephrons
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Each kidney has around one million small filtering units known as nephrons. These nephrons are often regarded as the functional unit of the kidney (3✔ ✔Trusted Source
Kidneys: Anatomy
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Normal Range of Urine Output Per Day
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The normal urine output of an adult is between 800 and 2,000 ml per day, with a fluid consumption of about 2 liters per day (4✔ ✔Trusted Source
Urine 24-hour volume
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Blood Filtration in Kidneys
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All the blood in our body passes 300 times through the kidneys every day (5✔ ✔Trusted Source
How does the urinary system work?
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The kidneys filter around 1,700 liters of blood per day (5✔ ✔Trusted Source
How does the urinary system work?
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Urinary Bladder
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The bladder is a hollow, muscular, balloon-shaped organ that serves as a urine reservoir. In other words, bladder is responsible for storing urine until it is expelled from the body (6✔ ✔Trusted Source
The Urinary Tract & How It Works
Go to source). - The urinary bladder may hold up to 500 ml of urine in women and 700 ml in men (5✔ ✔Trusted Source
How does the urinary system work?
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The bladder swells when it is full and contracts to empty the urine. The sensation of needing to urinate is a signal from the bladder that it's nearing its capacity (7✔ ✔Trusted Source
Urine and Urination
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Bladder
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Male Urethra vs Female Urethra
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The urethra in men is around 20 to 25 cm long, which connects the urinary bladder to the penis (9✔ ✔Trusted Source
Histology, Male Urethra
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Women have a shorter urethra than men, which is around 3 to 4 cm (1.5 inches) in length (10✔ ✔Trusted Source
Urethra
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Women's shorter urethra and it being closer to anus are a contributing factor to their increased susceptibility to UTIs (11✔ ✔Trusted Source
Urinary Incontinence in Older Adults
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Urinary Incontinence
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Urinary incontinence occurs when a person leaks urine involuntarily due to a loss of bladder control (12✔ ✔Trusted Source
Urinary tract infection in women
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References:
- Components of the Urinary System - (https://training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/urinary/components/ )
- Kidneys - (https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/kidneys )
- Kidneys: Anatomy - (https://training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/urinary/components/kidney.html )
- Urine 24-hour volume - (https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003425.htm )
- How does the urinary system work? - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279384/ )
- The Urinary Tract & How It Works - (https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/urinary-tract-how-it-works )
- Urine and Urination - (https://medlineplus.gov/urineandurination.html )
- Bladder - (https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/bladder)
- Histology, Male Urethra - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542238/ )
- Urethra - (https://training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/urinary/components/urethra.html )
- Urinary Incontinence in Older Adults - (https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/urinary-incontinence-older-adults )
- Urinary tract infection in women - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8077804/ )
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