Taking filtration as one of the major functions, kidneys play an important role in our life. Kidney is a vital organ of our body. It can help us excrete waste products as well as regulate acid-based balance and electrolyte. Thus, waste products get out of our body with urine.
Our kidneys consist of about one million to two million renal units. And renal unit is mainly composed of kidney tubules and kidney corpuscle which is made up of glomerulus and renal capsule. Among these renal tissues, glomerulus is mainly charge of the filtration function. For healthy people, fluid in our body can permeate kidneys. When fluid get into our kidneys, nutrient substances such as proteinuria and calcium are absorbed by glomerular tubules and at the same time, excessive substances are filtered out by glomeruli to get out of our body with urine. This is the general process in which the kidneys work.
GFR is one of the dominant indexes of diagnosis of renal function. GFR describes the flow rate of filtered fluid through the kidneys. For healthy people, the general GFR ranges from 100ml/min/1.73m2 to 130ml/min/1.73m2 which is suitable for both female and male. Because GRF has a relationship with body surface area, 100-130ml/min/1.73m2 is just the general expected value. For patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), due to the great damage of renal tissues, not all the fluid such as blood and electrolyte in their body can permeate kidneys within the limited time. As a result, GFR decreases. When some of the waste products, including toxic substances, can not be filtered out through glomeruli, these substances will accumulate in our body and with times going by, our other organs will be damaged by these toxic substances.
GFR can reflect renal condition, so it has a significant meaning for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) should pay much more attention to their diet, so as to reduce the burden of kidneys.
