Acute & Chronic Kidney Failure (Disease) Primer Flashcards
Renal failure results in the inability of the body to…
• Excrete metabolic waste
Compare the onset of acute vs chronic kidney failure.
- Acute: Sudden onset
* Chronic: Insidious onset over many years
Compare the most common causes of acute vs chronic kidney failure.
- Acute: acute tubular necrosis
* Chronic: Diabetic nephropathy
What is acute tubular necrosis?
• A kidney disorder involving damage to the tubule cells of the kidneys, which can lead to acute kidney failure
What are some causes of acute tubular necrosis?
• Heart attacks, strokes, and clots that cut off blood flow to your kidneys
What is diabetic nephropathy?
- a common complication of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
- Over time, poorly controlled diabetes can cause damage to blood vessel glomeruli of the kidneys.
- This will impair filtration, cause high blood pressure, and other issues, ultimately leading to kidney failure.
Compare dx criteria of acute vs chronic kidney failure.
- Acute: Urine OP reduction, rise in serum creatinine, progressive elevation of BUN levels
- Chronic: GFR < 60mL/min for 3 months
Compare reversibility of damage in acute vs chronic kidney failure.
- Acute: damage reversible if caught early, though it has a high mortality rate
- Chronic: irreversible and progressive
Compare primary cause of death in acute vs chronic kidney failure.
- Acute: Infection
* Chronic: Cardiovascular disease
Acute Kidney Injury (AKI): Explain pre-renal etiology.
- Source of damage is to circulation BEFORE the blood hits the kidney.
- This causes a reduction in glomerular perfusion and overall filtration of kidneys
- This reduction in glomerulus pressure causes autoregulatory mechanisms to be triggered
What are some examples of pre-renal conditions that can cause AKI?
- Dehydration
- Burns
- Any condition that lowers BP
Why do pre-renal conditions trigger the autoregulatory mechanisms?
- The body perceives low glomerular pressure as low body fluids
- The autoregulatory mechanisms are triggered to try and reverse this by retaining fluids to raise pressure back up and restore glomerular/renal function
What autoregulatory mechanisms are triggered by a decreased glomerular pressure?
• ↑ ADH, ↑ Renin, ↑ Aldosterone → Na and H2O retention and ↓ urine OP
Acute Kidney Injury (AKI): Explain intrarenal etiology.
• Direct damage to the parenchyma (functional tissue) impairs nephron functioning
What are some conditions that cause intrarenal AKI?
- Prolonged renal ischemia
- Nephrotoxins (aminoglycosides)
- ↑ Hgb from hemolyzed RBCs
- ↑ Myoglobin from necrotic muscle cells
- Acute tubular necrosis
Acute Kidney Injury (AKI): Explain post-renal etiology.
• This occurs when there is a mechanical obstruction that can cause reflux
What are some causes of post-renal AKI?
- BPH
- Prostate cancer
- Calculi (stones)
- Trauma
- Extra renal tumors
True or False
Urine OP is useful in determining etiology of renal failure
• True
Anuria may indicate what condition?
• UTI obstruction
Oliguria may indicate what etiology of AKI?
• Pre-renal
What specific gravity value indicates renal failure?
• 1.007-1.010
What is the normal WBC range in urine?
• 0-5
Elevated WBCs in urine indicates…
• Infection
What is the normal RBC range in urine?
• 0-4