The urinary system is well known for eliminating wastes from the body, but its role in maintaining homeostasis goes far beyond that. As you will see shortly, the kidneys also detoxify poisons, synthesize glucose, and play indispensable roles in controlling electrolyte and acid-base balance, blood pressure, erythrocyte count, and the ^Po₂ and ^Pco₂ of the blood. The urinary system thus has a very close physiological relationship with the endocrine, circulatory, and respiratory systems, covered in the preceding chapters.

Anatomically, the urinary system is closely associated with the reproductive system. In many animals the eggs and sperm are emitted through the urinary tract, and the two systems have a shared embryonic development and adult anatomical relationship. This is reflected in humans, where the systems develop together in the embryo and, in the male, the urethra continues to serve for elimination of both urine and sperm. Thus the urinary and reproductive systems are often collectively called the urogenital (U-G) system, and urologists treat both urinary and male reproductive disorders. We examine the anatomical relationship between the urinary and reproductive systems in chapter 27, but the physiological link to the circulatory and respiratory systems is more important to consider at this time.

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