Chemical Flashcards
Where is calcium taken in through???
The gut
Where is calcium excreted through?
The kidneys
Where is calcium stored?
- 99% in bones
- 1% in the blood
What are the roles of calcium?
- Skeleton
- Action Potentials/Nerves/Muscles
- Intracellular Signalling
What forms of calcium are present in the serum?
- Free/Ionised = 50% = Biologically Active
- Protein Bound = 40% = Albumin
- Complexed = 10% = In Citrate or Phosphate
Normal Serum Calcium?
2.2-2.6 mmol/L
What is corrected calcium?
- takes into account albumin level (low albumin will cause the appearance of more ‘apparent calcium’ as more is free - usually reported and more accurate measure - Serum Ca + 0.02 x (40-serum albumin)
Describe the homeostatic response to low calcium.
- Hypocalcaemia detected by parathyroid gland
- Releases PTH
- PTH obtains calcium
- Bone (osteoclasts activated)
- Gut (absorption through Vit D activation)
- Kidney (resorption and renal 1-alpha hydroxylase activation)
What 2 hormones are most important in calcium homeostasis?
- PTH
- Vitamin D
Describe the mechanism of PTH?
- Released from parathyroid glands
- Activates osteoclasts and Vit D synthesis
- Stimulates renal phosphate excretion
What are the sources of Vitamin D?
Sunlight and Diet - Sun converts cholesterol in skin to cholecalciferol (Vit D3) - Cholecalciferol (Vit D3) is also sourced from food
How is Vitamin D activated?
- Cholecalciferol (Vit D3) is hydroxylated in the liver to form 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (inactive) - stored in the blood/what is measured
- PTH activates this in the kidney into 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (active)
What pathology exists where active Vitamin D is made in locations other than the kidney?
Sarcoid tissue - ectopic alpha hydroxylase is expressed in lung cells
What happens to Vitamin D in pancreatic failure?
- Reduced absorption of dietary Vit D
- Low 25-hydroxycholecalciferol causes secondary hyperparathyroidism (high PTH)
- High 1,25-hydroxycholecalciferol (any remaining 25-hydroxy is converted)
What happens to Vitamin D in chronic renal failure?
- Low 1-alpha hydroxylase
- High 25-hydroxycholecalciferol
- Low 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol
- Secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism (high PTH)
What happens to Vitamin D in Vitamin D resistance?
- High 25-hydroxy
- High 1,25-dihydroxy
- High PTH
What happens to Vitamin D in hypoparathyroidism (post-surgery)?
Low PTH - High 25-hydroxycholecalciferol - Low 1,25-hydroxycholecalciferol
What happens to Vitamin D in sarcoidosis?
- Ectopic 1-alpha hydroxylase
- High 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol
- High calcium
- Low PTH
- (High ALP if liver involved)
What are the primary roles of Vitamin D?
- Intestinal calcium absorption
- Intestinal phosphate absorption
- Bone formation
- (osteoclasts release calcium into blood which activates osteoblasts)
What does high ALP indicate?
Bone disease - Produced by osteoblasts
What happens to ALP in multiple myeloma?
Normal ALP - osteoblasts are not affected/only osteoclasts affected
What is the biochemical role of the skeleton?
- Metabolic role in calcium homeostasis
- Main reservoir of calcium, phosphate and magnesium
Define osteoporosis.
Reduced bone mass due to reduced calcium
What happens to bone structure in osteoporosis?
Normal structure and quality just at a lower quantity/density
What are the 2 types of osteoporosis?
High turnover = high bone resorption
Low turnover = low bone formation
What are the primary causes of osteoporosis?
- Age
- Post-menopausal
What are the secondary causes of osteoporosis?
- Drugs
- Systemic disease
What are the risk factors for osteoporosis?
Lack of oestrogen in a female
Caucasian, Asian Old
Age
Family history/Genetics
Immobilisation
Smoking, drugs, alcohol
Low weight
Chronic medical conditions
Endo diseases
Medication - steroids, thyroxine replacement
What is the consequence of long-term steroids on the bones?
Decreased bone quantity leading to osteonecrosis or fractures
What is the presentation of osteoporosis?
- Pathological Fracture - colic, hip, pelvis, vertebrae
- May have back pain due to a fracture
- Usually asymptomatic until a fracture occurs
What investigations are appropriate for suspected osteoporosis?
Bloods - calcium, phosphate, PTH and ALP are normal (ALP may be high if recent fracture) Urine - high urinary calcium Imaging/X-ray DEXA
What DEXA score is considered osteoporosis and osteopenia?
Osteoporosis = T score < -2.5 Osteopenia = T score -1 to -2.5
Define T score and Z score in DEXA scans.
- T score = relative to mean of young healthy pop (age 30)
- Z score = relative to mean of aged-matched control
What is the treatment of osteoporosis?
- Lifestyle - weight-bearing exercise, stop smoking, reducing alcohol
- Drugs - Vit D, bisphosphonates, strontium, oestrogen, SERMs
What is the mechanism of bisphosphonates?
Inhibits bone resorption (and also formation)
What are the side effects and contraindications of bisphosphonates?
Side effects
- Upper GI irritation/oesophageal damage
Contraindications
- Pregnancy/breastfeeding (affect foetal skeleton development)
- Hypocalcaemia
- Very low GFR
How are bisphosphonates used in osteoporosis?
Prevention and treatment
How is strontium ranelate used in osteoporosis?
Prevention against vertebral and hip fractures
How are SERMs used in osteoporosis?
Prevention against vertebral fractures in established osteoporosis
How are parathyroid hormone peptides used in osteoporosis?
Reduce the risk of vertebral fractures
How is denosumab used in osteoporosis?
Prevention against fracture in post-menopausal women
What is the mechanism of denosumab?
- Monoclonal antibody against RANKL on osteoblasts
- Reduces osteoclast activity thereby increasing bone density
- SC injection every 6 months
What 4 organs are affected by PTH?
- Parathyroid glands
- Kidneys
- Bone
- Proximal small intestine
Define Osteomalacia.
Defective bone mineralisation due to deficiency of vitamin D or calcium.
What are the 2 types of osteomalacia?
Vitamin D deficiency
Phosphate deficiency
Describe bones in osteomalacia.
- Abnormal bones
- De-mineralised bone structure - weakers bones
What does Vitamin D deficiency cause?
Adults - osteomalacia Children - rickets
What are the risk factors for Vitamin D deficiency?
- Lack of sunlight exposure
- Dark skin
- Diet
- Malabsorption (pancreatic, cystic fibrosis)
- Anticonvulsants (phenytoin)
- Chronic liver disease
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding
What are the clinical features of osteomalacia?
Bone and muscle pain/tenderness
Fractures
Proximal weakness
Bone deformities
What investigations are appropriate for suspected osteomalacia?
Bloods - low calcium, low phosphate, high PTH, high ALP Radiological - horizontal pseudofractures in Looser’s zone
What are the clinical features of osteomalacia?
Costochondral swelling
Widened epiphyses at wrists
Bowed legs
Myopathy
Define Paget’s disease.
Disorder of bone turnover resulting in excessive and abnormal bone remodelling
What are the 3 phases of Paget’s disease?
- Osteolytic - giant osteoclasts with multiple nuclei rapidly resorb bone
- Osteolyitc-osteosclerotic - combination of osteoclast/osteoblast activity resulting in the formation of mosaic patterned bone
- Quiescent osteosclerotic - bone formation continues but is woven and weak
What is the presentation of Paget’s disease?
- May be asymptomatic
- Intense localised pain of bones
- Microfractures
- Bony deformities/increased bone size
- Warm bones (hypervascularity)
- If affects tibia: can cause bowing
- If affects spine: kyphosis
- Nerve compression
- Skull changes: can put medulla at risk
- Haemodynamic changes, HF SOB - high output HF due to bone marrow infiltration of weak woven bone
- Hearing lose
- Sarcomas - rare
What are the signs of Paget’s disease on a head X-ray?
- Osteoporosis circumscripta - large, well-defined lytic lesions
- Cotton wool appearance - mixed lytic and sclerotic lesions of the skull
What are the appropriate investigations for suspected Paget’s disease?
- X-ray
- Bloods
- Normal calcium and phosphate
- High ALP and urinary hydroxyproline (both due to high osteoclast activity)
What types of hearing loss occurs in Paget’s disease?
- Sensorineural (8th CN) - compression of nerve due to lesion
- Conductive - disease affecting the ossicles
What examination allows you to determine whether hearing loss is sensorineural or conductive?
- Weber’s test using tuning fork on the forehead
- Usually air conduction > bone conduction so patient still hears sound when moved from bone to in front of ear
- If conductive loss, BC > AC so patient won’t be able to still hear sound when moved
Define parathyroid bone disease.
Cancer of parathyroid which over-produces PTH and high levels of calcium resorption resulting in bone disease (combo of osteoporosis and osteomalacia)
Define renal osteodystrophy.
- Increased bone resorption (osteitis fibrosa cystica)
- Osteomalacia
- Osteosclerosis
- Osteoporosis
- Growth retardation - In renal failure Vit D cannot be activated nor phosphate excreted
Define osteitis fibrosa.
Primary hyperparathyroidism causes osteoclast resorption of calcified bone - bone is replaced by fibrous tissue
Can lead to fractures
What are the most common differentials of hypercalcaemia?
- Cancer - most common
- Primary hyperparathyroidism
- Sarcoidosis
What are causes of hypercalcaemia with raised or inappropriately high PTH?
- Hyperparathyroidism - tumour most common
- Familial hypocalciuric hypercalcaemia
What are causes of hypercalcaemia with appropriate PTH?
- High ALP
- Malignancy
- Ectopic PTH or metastases
- Thyrotoxicosis
- Sarcoid = lung expression of renal 1-alpha hydroxylase
- Normal ALP
- Myeloma
- Vit D excess - sunbeds
- Milk alkali syndrome
- Thiazide diuretics
- Sarcoidosis
Describe the biochemistry of primary hyperparathyroidism.
- High or inappropriately normal PTH
- High calcium
- Low phosphate
- Normal vitamin D (can be low as it is activated and consumed)
- High or normal ALP
- High urinary calcium
What are the symptoms of primary hyperparathyroidism?
- Asymptomatic or present with depression
- Polyuria and polydipsia (nephrogenic DI)
- Bones - osteitis fibrosa cystica, bone resorption, fractures
- Stones - calcium oxalate renal stones
- Groans - constipation, acute pancreatitis, peptic ulcer
- Moans - depression, psychosis
- Neuro dysfunction
What are the signs of primary hyperparathyroidism on examination?
- Band keratopathy - calcium deposition across front of eye (not present in malignancy)
- Brown cell tumours - multi-nucleate giant cells (activated osteoclasts)
What is the inheritance pattern of Familial hypocalciuric hypercalcaemia?
Autosomal dominant - mutation in calcium sensor so cannot sense calcium
Describe the biochemistry of familial hypocalciuric hypercalcaemia.
- Mild hypercalcaemia
- Low urinary calcium
- Normal or slightly high PTH
- Slightly elevated magnesium
How must familial hypocalciuric hypercalcaemia not be managed?
Do not surgically remove
What are the risk factors for renal stones?
- Family history
- Dehydration
- Hypercalciuria (without primary hyperparathyroidism)
- Hypercalcaemia
What is the presentation of renal stones?
- Colic pain - can moves down ureter
- Haematuria
- Recurrent infections/UTIs
- Renal failure
What are the appropriate investigations for suspected renal stones?
- KUB x-ray
- Stone analysis
- Urine and serum biochemistry
What is the treatment for renal stones?
- Lithotomy (remove stones)
- Lithotripsy (shock waves to break up stones)
How do you prevent the formation of renal stones?
- Drink water
- Treat hypercalcaemia
- Thiazide diuretics to treat hypercalciuria
What are the acute treatments of hypercalcaemia?
- Fluids
- Furosemide
What are the non-acute treatments of hypercalcaemia?
- Bisphosphonates
- Surgery
- Avoidance of thiazides
What are the clinical features of hypocalcaemia?
- Neuro-muscular excitability
- CATs go numb
- Convulsions
- Arrythmias
- Tetany
- Numbness
- Perioral paraesthesia
- Carpal spasm (provoked using BP cuff)
- Trousseau’s sign
- Chvostek’s sign = tap cheek (facial nerve just anterior to external auditory meatus) = ipsilateral facial contraction
- CATs go numb
What is the treatment of hypocalcaemia?
Mild = calcium (Alfacalcidol in chronic renal disease)
Severe = IV 10% Calcium gluconate
What are causes of hypocalcaemia with high PTH?
- Secondary hyperparathyroidism
- Vit D deficiency
- CKD
- Can progress to tertiary hyperparathyroidism
- Calcium malabsorption
- Pseudohypoparathyroidism
What are causes of hypocalcaemia with low PTH?
- Surgical
- Post parathyroid removal or thyroid removal
- Autoimmune hypoparathyroidism
- Congenital absence of parathyroid e.g. Di George syndrome
What are the features of the atherosclerotic lesions?
- Fibrous cap Foam cells
- Macrophages full of cholesteryl ester (can leak out)
- Necrotic core
- Full of cholesterol crystals deposited by dead macrophages
- Released enzymes that hydrolyse cholesteryl ester into free cholesterol which then crystallises
How is cholesterol transported?
Plasma lipoproteins
What are the different types of lipoproteins?
Chylomicrons (largest) - <5% (high in TGs) VLDL - 13% (high in TGs) LDL - 70% (main carrier of cholesterol) HDL - 17% (smallest)
What are the sources of cholesterol?
Diet and Bile
How is cholesterol level regulated?
Amount being absorbed by the liver
- The amount regulates the activity of HMG-CoA reductase
What happens to cholesterol once it has been absorbed or synthesised?
- Hydrolysis by 7a-OHxylase to form bile acids which enter the bile duct
- Esterified by ACAT - cholesterol ester which together with TG and apoB - incorporated into VLDL via MTP which is important in the packaging process
- VLDL is the main precursor of LDL
- LDL after circulating in the plasma for 3-4 days is taken up into the liver by LDL receptor
What is the role of HDL lipoproteins?
Collects cholesterol from peripheral cells (not liver) - Good cholesterol
What is the role of LDL lipoproteins?
Transports cholesterol to the peripheries (not the liver)
How are triglycerides transported in the plasma?
Chylomicrons = <5% VLDL = 55% LDL = 29% HDL = 11%
What are the sources of triglycerides?
- Diet - major source
- Chylomicrons (into free fatty acids) - hydrolysed by enzymes
Where are free fatty acids stored?
Liver and adipose tissue
Name 4 types of hypercholesterolaemia.
- Primary hypercholesterolaemia - FH ect
- Polygenic hypercholesterolaemia
- Familial hyper-a-lipoproteinaemia
- Phytosterolaemia
What is FH?
A dominant mutation of LDL receptor, apoB or PCSK9 genes - Rarely autosomal recessive inheritance of LDLRAP1
What are the signs of FH?
- Homozygous FH = corneal arcus in young children
- Very uncommon 1 in 1,000,000
- Heterozygous FH = corneal arcus with xanthalasma around eyes, tendon xanthoma are all tell-tale signs
- More common 1 in 500
What is the role of the proteins produced from the PCSK9 genes?
- Bind to LDL receptor and promote its degradation - if mutated there is an increase in the rate of degradation of LDL
- Therefore increasing high LDL circulating
- Is a novel drug target if this mutation is found
What is polygenic hypercholesterolaemia?
Multiple loci including NPC1L1, HMGCR, CYP7A1 polymorphisms Each have a small effect which gives a large combined effect
What is hyper-a-lipoproteinaemia?
An increase in HDL - relatively benign presentation in terms of CV disease Sometimes associated with a CETP deficiency
What is phytosterolaemia?
Mutations of ABC G5 and G8 (gate keepers)
- Plant sterols can enter the plasma and there is premature risk of atherosclerosis
What is type I primary hypertriglyceridaemia?
Deficiency in lipoprotein lipase that degrades chylomicrons of apoC II
- In standing blood chylomicrons float on the top
- Patients may have eruptive xanthomas on skin (pustules/ papules)
What is type IV primary hypertriglyceridaemia?
- Increased synthesis of TG
- No chylomicrons floating to the top but there is VLDL seperates
What is type V primary hypertriglyceridaemia?
apoA V deficiency - VLDL and chylomicrons above on standing blood
What are the causes of mixed hyperlipidaemia?
- Primary mixed hyperlipidaemia
- Familial combined hyperlipidaemia
- Familial hepatic lipase deficiency
- Familial dys-b-lipoproetinaemia
- Secondary hyperlipidaemia
- Hormonal factors - pregnancy, hypothyrodism ect
- Metabolic - diabetes, gout, storage disorders
- Renal dysfunction - nephrotic syndrome, CKF
- Obstructive liver disease
- Toxins
What are the causes of hypolipidaemia?
- AB lipoproteinaemia
- HypoB-lipoproteinaemia
- Tangier disease
- Hypo-a-lipoproteinaemia
Describe AB lipoproteinaemia.
- Recessive MTP deficiency
- Gives rise to extremely low levels of cholesterol
- Extremely rare
Describe HypoB-lipoproteinaemia.
- Truncated ApoB
- Autosomal dominant
- Causes low LDL
Describe Tangier disease.
HDL deficiency caused by ABC A1 mutations (mediates the movement of cholesterol from peripheral cells into HDL)
Describe the process of atherosclerosis formation.
- LDL becomes oxidised once penetrated the vascular wall 2. Oxidised LDL is taken up by macrophages and the cholesterol in LDL becomes esterified = foam cells - Lipid rich coronary plaques can rupture - Thrombus can heal - Mural intraluminal thombus and intraintimal thrombus - Occlusive intraluminal thrombus
What is the mechanism of statins?
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors - Reduce LDL cholesterol - Slight increase in HDL - Small reduction in TG
What is the mechanism of fibrates?
PPAR activation
- Not great at redcuing LDL cholesterol
- Good at raising HDL
- Very good at lowering TG
What is the mechanism of ezetimibe?
Cholesterol absorption blocker at NPC1L1 transporter in the intestine - Reduce LDL
What is the mechanism of colestyramine?
Ion exchange resin that binds bile acids (made from cholesterol hence reducing circulating levels) - Reduces LDL
Name 2 licensed novel LDL-lowering therapies.
MTP inhibitor - lomitapide - Replicates symptoms of AB-lipoproteinaemia such as impaired fat absorption and fatty liver Anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody - REGN727
Name 2 licensed novel HDL-based therapies.
- Apoliprotein A1 or A1 mimetic infusion therapy
- CETP inhibitors
What are the treatment of obesity?
- Hypocaloric diet and exercise
- Drug/Iatrogenic malabsorption = Orlistat - Pancreatic lipase inhibitor
- Causes steatorrhea
- Bariatric surgery
- BMI >40kg/m2
- Success is >50% reduction in weight
- Reduces diabetes by 72%
- Reduces serum TG by 60%
- Increases HDL by 47%
- Reduces fatty liver and hypertension
Describe the 3 approaches of bariatric surgery.
- Gastric banding - size of stomach reduced to increase satiety after a meal
- Roux-en-Y gastric bypass - distal part of the jejunum is anastomosed to the stomach
- Biliopancreatic diversion - stomach is reduced in size and a connection is made straight from the stomach to the terminal ileum
Define hyponatraemia.
Serum calcium <135 mmol/L
- Most common electrolyte abnormality in hospitalised patients (25%)
What is the underlying pathogenesis of hyponatraemia?
Increased extracellular water
Describe ADH.
Synthesised in hypothalamus
Secreted from posterior pituitary, acts on CD in the kidney via the insertion of aquaporin 2 (AQA2)
What is the mechanism of ADH?
- Acts on V2 receptors in collecting duct via the insertion of AQA2
- V1 receptors - found on vascular smooth muscle causing vasoconstriction - only occurs at very high concentrations (gives the alternative name “Vasopressin”)
What are the 2 main stimuli for ADH secretion?
High serum osmolality – mediated by hypothalamic osmoreceptors
Low blood volume/pressure – mediated by baroreceptors in carotids, atria, aorta
What are the effects of ADH on serum sodium?
Hyponatraemia/Low sodium - ADH only absorbs water (not any sodium)
What is the first step in the management of a hyponatreamic patient?
Cclinical assessment of volume status
- Hypovolaemia, euvolemia, hypervolaemia
What are the clinical signs of hypovolaemia?
- Tachycardia
- Postural hypotension
- Dry mucous membranes
- Reduced skin turgor
- Confusion or drowsiness
- Reduced urine output
- Low urine Na+ (<20 mEq/L)
What is the normal range of urine sodium?
40-220 mEq/L
- <20 non-renal loss
- >20 in renal loss
What medication can cause unreliable urine sodium?
Diuretics
- Hypovolaemic but no hyponatraemia
What are the clinical signs of hypervolaemia?
Raised JVP
Bi-basal crackles
Peripheral oedema
What are the causes of hyponatraemia in a hypovolaemic patient?
Diuretics
Diarrhoea
Vomiting