The kidneys work by effectively removing the majority of waste products from our blood and are vital to our health. We each have two kidneys, which lie on the back wall of the abdomen. From the inner side of each kidney a tube called the ureter runs down the abdominal cavity entering the bladder.
Blood is pumped through groups of tiny tubes inside the kidneys, and harmful waste material passes out through the walls of these vessels and down the ureter into the bladder. Here it is ready to be discharged from the body as urine.
The kidneys also work by producing certain hormones which help to regulate blood pressure.
