5.1 Urinary System Introduction

Introduction to the Urinary System

The urinary system filters waste products from the blood and produces urine. It also performs several additional physiological processes, such as regulating fluid volume and electrolyte levels, releasing hormones to control blood pressure and red blood cell production, and helping with bone health by controlling calcium and phosphorus levels.

This chapter will review common word components related to the urinary system to assist students in learning how to analyze, build, and define terms. Other urinary terms, whose definitions cannot be easily built from word components, will be described in context based on the anatomy and physiology of the urinary system and common diseases and disorders. Medical specialists, diagnostic tests, and procedures related to the urinary system will also be discussed.