5.1.2 (e) Kidney failure Flashcards
what causes kidney failure?
infection
increased blood pressure
genetic conditions
what is caused by kidney infection?
protein in the urine
blood in the urine
why is protein in the urine a symptom of kidney infection?
would suggest that the basement membrane or podocytes are damaged which would allow large plasma proteins to pass into the filtrate
what might kidney infections lead to?
inflammation of the kidneys which means that the kidney cells are damaged
could mean that Bowman’s capsule or other parts of the nephron are damaged
what might a high blood pressure lead to?
may damage the glomerulus as blood in the afferent arteriole would be at a higher pressure which could damage the capillaries
damage to the capillaries may lead to large plasma proteins getting through
what does kidney failure lead to the buildup of?
concentrations of urea and mineral ions
what are the effects of urea and mineral ion buildup?
loss of electrolyte balance
build up of toxic urea in the blood
high blood pressure
what is the GFR?
glomerular filtration rate
rate at which blood is filtered at the glomerulus
what is used to give the GFR?
creatine concentration
when can GFR indicate kidney failure?
if the GFR is below normal levels
what are the two ways kidney failure is treated?
renal dialysis
transplant
what are the 2 types of renal dialysis?
haemodialysis
peritoneal dialysis
where does haemodialysis occur?
carried out at the hospital
how does haemodialysis work?
blood leaves the body from an artery and flows into the dialysis machine.
machine contains a partially permeable membrane in which dialysis fluid is inserted into
this fluid creates a steep concentration gradient for urea and mineral ions.
this causes urea and mineral ions to leave the blood and diffuse into the dialysis fluid
what is the composition of the dialysis fluid?
contains normal glucose levels which prevents glucose being removed
contains normal mineral ions levels which removes excess mineral ions from the blood
contains no urea which means that urea is removed from the blood
what direction do the dialysis tubing and blood move in?
a countercurrent system
creates a steep concentration gradient which means faster rate of diffusion
diagram of haemodialysis
what are the problems with haemodialysis?
- takes a long time
- has to be repeated regularly
- managing if diet needed
- has to go hospital every time
- expensive
what is peritoneal dialysis?
a catheter is used to insert dialysis fluid into the peritoneum and is left for hours to allow for excess mineral ions and urea to diffuse into the across the peritoneum and into the dialysis fluid
the fluid is then removed from the peritoneum an replaced with new fluid
pros of peritoneal dialysis
can be done from home
patient can carry on with their own life
cons of peritoneal dialysis
high risk of infection
what is a kidney transplant?
when a new kidney is implanted into a patient’s body to replace the damaged one
pros of kidney transplant
cheaper than keeping patient on dialysis
more convenient as patient does not need to attend regular hospital sessions
what is the problem with a transplant?
high chance of rejection
risky operation
what causes your body to reject a transplanted organ?
the organ’s antigens differ from the self cell antigens which would cause the immune system to recognise it as foreign and attack
adv of immunosuppressant drugs
prevent your body rejecting a transplant
dis of immunosuppressant drugs
prevent patients from responding to other diseases
pros of dialysis
is more resdily available
allows patient to live normal life
cons of dialysis
can be expensive
needs constant topping up
need to monitor diet etc
cons of transplant
lack of availability
