How do the kidneys affect a child's growth?

The kidneys perform the essential function of removing waste products from the blood and regulating the water fluid levels.

The kidneys are part of the waste disposal team. They check out the minerals, vitamins and other nutrients that you get from your food and send off into urine anything that is not needed. They make urine (wee), send it down to the bladder through tubes called the ureters, and when the bladder feels full enough the brain sends you off to the toilet to get rid of the urine. Have a look at 'Your waste disposal system' if you would like to know more about this.

The kidneys receive blood through the renal artery. The blood is passed through the structure of the kidneys called nephrons, where waste products and excess water pass out of the blood stream, as shown in the diagram below.

In addition to removing wastes and extra fluid from the blood, the kidneys perform several functions important for a child's growth, includinghelping regulate the amounts and interactions of nutrients from food, including minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin Dmaintaining the proper acid-base balance in the bloodproducing the hormone erythropoietin (EPO), which promotes red blood cell productionplaying a possible role in the metabolism of growth hormone, also called somatotropin Calcium and vitamin D are essential for normal bone growth.