*Besides removing waste from bloodstream, the urinary system preforms several other functions as well. They are as follows:

1. Storage of Urine: Urine is produce all the time, but it would be inconvenient if we were constantly excreting urine. The Urinary bladder is an expandable sac that stores as much as 1 liter of urine.
2. Excretion of urine: Urethra transports the urine from the bladder and expels it outside of the body.
3. Regulation of blood volume: Kidneys control the volume of iterstitial fluid and blood under direction of certain hormones produced in your body. Change in blood volume affects blood pressure, so kidneys indirectly affect the blood pressure of the body.
4. Regulation of erthrocyte production: As kidneys filter blood the are also measuring the oxygen level of the blood. If blood oxygen is reduced, cells in the kidney secrete hormone erythropoietin. Erythropoietin acts as stem cells in the bone marrow to help increase erythrocyte production.

Ohio State University Medical Center


Your body takes nutrients from food and uses them to maintain all bodily functions including energy and self-repair. After your body has taken what it needs from the food, waste products are left behind in the blood and in the bowel. The urinary system works with the lungs, skin, and intestines—all of which also excrete wastes—to keep the chemicals and water in your body balanced. Adults eliminate about a quart and a half of urine each day. The amount depends on many factors, especially the amounts of fluid and food a person consumes and how much fluid is lost through sweat and breathing. Certain types of medications can also affect the amount of urine eliminated.

Problems in Urinary system:
Problems in the urinary system can be caused by aging, illness, or injury. As you get older, changes in the kidneys’ structure cause them to lose some of their ability to remove wastes from the blood. Also, the muscles in your ureters, bladder, and urethra tend to lose some of their strength. You may have more urinary infections because the bladder muscles do not tighten enough to empty your bladder completely. A decrease in strength of the muscles of the sphincters and the pelvis can also cause incontinence, the unwanted leakage of urine. Illness or injury can also prevent the kidneys from filtering the blood completely or block the passage of urine.

Age related facts:

Kidneys
Thickening of capsule
Decrease cortical mass
-decrease renal blood flow
General atrophy 30% by age 80
Altered permeability of glomeruli
Loss of tubules
-decreses ability to concentrate urine
-decreased ability to regulate PH
Loss of reserve capacity
Bladder and Urethra
Loss of muscle, elasticity of bladder wall
Less able to expand and contract
-decreased max. volume
-increase risk of infections
More frequent urination
- 3 or more x/ a night
Weakining of bladder sphincters
Loss of control of external sphincters

Disorders of Urinary System:
Kidney stones-
They vary in size. Some stones cause great pain while others cause very little. The aim of treatment is to remove the stones, prevent infection, and prevent recurrence. Both nonsurgical and surgical treatments are used. Kidney stones affect men more often than women.


Renal (kidney) failure-
results when the kidneys are not able to regulate water and chemicals in the body or remove waste products from your blood. Acute renal failure (ARF) is the sudden onset of kidney failure. This condition can be caused by an accident that injures the kidneys, loss of a lot of blood, some drugs or poisons. ARF may lead to permanent loss of kidney function. But if the kidneys are not seriously damaged, they may recover. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the gradual reduction of kidney function that may lead to permanent kidney failure, or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). You may go several years without knowing you have CKD.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)


Example of prostatic hyperplasia


Painful bladder syndrome/Interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC)


Glomerulation of Bladder Consistent with IC (Surgery Images)

Prostatitis


1. Bladder
2. Normal Prostate Gland
3. Enlarged Prostate Gland- Prostatitis

Bladder Cancer Bladder cancer occurs in the lining of the bladder and is the sixth most common type of cancer in the U.S. Symptoms: - lower back pain - blood in urine - frequent urge to urinate - pain when you urinate Risk Factors: - smoking - exposure to certain chemicals - family history - older, white or male Treatments: - surgery - radiation - chemotherapy - biologic therapy/immunotherapy Kidney Cancer Kidney cancer forms in the lining of the small tubes inside your kidneys. Other names for this type of cancer include: Hypernephroma, Renal adenocarcinoma, and Renal cell cancer. Symptoms: - blood in urine - lump in abdomen - unexplained weight loss - pain in your side - loss of appetite Risk Factors: - smoking - certain genetic conditions - extended misuse of pain medications - occurs most often in people over 40 Treatments: Depends on age, overall health and how advanced the cancer is in each particular patient. It can include: - surgery - radiation - chemotherapy - biologic therapy/immunotherapy