3.3 - Disorders of vasopressin Flashcards
How does the posterior pituitary gland work?
- anatomically continuous with hypothalamus
- hypothalamic magnocellular neurons containing arginine vasopressin (AVP) or oxytocin
- neurons are long, originate in supraoptic and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei
- nuclei –> stalk –> posterior pituitary
What is diuresis?
Production of urine
What is the physiological action of vasopressin (ADH)? (3)
- stimulation of water reabsorption in renal collecting duct - acts through V2 receptor
- also a vasoconstrictor via V1 receptor
- stimulates ACTH release from anterior pituitary
How does AVP concentrate urine?
- AVP from pituitary enters bloodstream and binds to V2 receptor on kidney tubule cell
- cascade
- aquaporin-2 inserted into apical membrane of kidney tubule cell
- water enters the kidney tubule cell from the tubular lumen
- water leaves the kidney tubule into the blood via aquaporin-3
How does the posterior pituitary come up on MRI?
- as a bright spot
- not visualised in all healthy individuals, so absence may be normal
What is the stimuli for vasopressin release?
- increase in plasma osmolality (concentration) sensed by osmoreceptors
- osmoreceptors are special sensory receptors in the hypothalamus
How do osmoreceptors regulate vasopressin?
- increase in plasma osmolality (e.g. increase in extracellular Na+, due to dehydration)
- water moves out of the osmoreceptor via osmosis
- osmoreceptor shrinks
- stimulates increased osmoreceptor firing
- AVP release from hypothalamic neurons
What is the physiological response to water deprivation?
- increased plasma osmolality
- stimulation of osmoreceptors
- leads to increased thirst AND increased AVP release
- increased AVP release leads to increased water reabsorption from renal collecting ducts
- reduced urine volume, increase in urine osmolality
- reduction in plasma osmolality as more water reabsorbed
What is arginine vasopressin deficiency (AVP-D)?
- previously known as cranial (central) diabetes insipidus
- problem with hypothalamus and/or posterior pituitary
- unable to make AVP
What is arginine vasopressin resistance (AVP-R)?
- previously known as nephrogenic diabetes insipidus
- can make AVP (normal hypothalamus and posterior pituitary)
- kidney (collecting duct) unable to respond to AVP (e.g. damaged receptors)
Why do the symptoms of AVP deficiency/resistance occur?
- AVP problem - deficiency/resistance
- impaired concentration of urine in renal collecting duct
- large volumes of dilute (hypotonic) urine
- increase in plasma osmolality (and sodium)
- stimulation of osmoreceptors
- thirst - polydipsia
- maintains circulating volume as long as patient has access to water
How can AVP deficiency/resistance lead to death?
When there is no access to water, the patient dehydrates and dies (since water cannot be reabsorbed from urine therefore rely on drinking water)
Why have we moved away from using the term diabetes insipidus?
- diabetes insipidus is not the same as diabetes mellitus
- preventing a patient with DI from drinking / not giving fluids if unable to drink can cause death
- moved away from DI due to this reason
- AVP deficiency = cranial DI
- AVP resistance = nephrogenic DI
What are the symptoms of AVP deficiency/resistance? (3)
- polyuria
- nocturia
- polydipsia - extreme thirst
Why do the symptoms occur differently in diabetes mellitus vs AVP deficiency/resistance?
- in DM (hyperglycaemia), these symptoms are due to osmotic diuresis (high glucose conc in urine = large volumes)
- in AVP deficiency/resistance, these symptoms are due to a problem with AVP