SPECIFICITY OF KIDNEY FUNCTION IN INFANTS AT TERM

Abstract

The main function of the kidney is homeostasis, originally defined by Claude Bernard as maintenance of the constancy of the internal environment. The internal environment is the extracellular fluid (ECF). Homeostasis is therefore the maintenance of the volume and composition of the ECF. The main threats to the stability of the ECF are the consequences of dietary intake and the production of metabolic waste substances by the body cells. The role of the kidney in this process is to detect small changes in the volume or composition of the ECF and to adjust the volume and composition of the urine so as to offset the tendency to change (negative feedback).