Chronic Kidney Disease Flashcards
What is the definition of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)? How does it relate to GFR?
Kidney damage or decreased kidney function for three or more months
Kidney damage is either defined be a specific marker, or is a reduction in GFR to less than 60 mL/min*** for three months(half normal)
What are the six possible markers of kidney damage that would define CKD (other than GFR reduction)?
- Albuminuria
- Urine sediment abnormalities - RBC casts, WBC casts, oval fat bodies
- Electrolyte or other abnormalities caused by tubular disorders - i.e. RTA, Fanconi, nephrogenic DI
- Pathological abnormalities by kidney biopsy
- Imaging abnormalities (CT, ultrasound, etc)
- History of kidney transplant
What is the definition of albuminuria for chronic kidney disease? Is this a common cause for CKD diagnosis?
Albumin excretion rate of >30 mg/day
or
Urine albumin to creatinin ratio >30mg albumin / gram creatinine
Normal for both is <10
Yes -> most common cause
What imaging abnormalities might be found for diagnosis of CKD?
Polycystic kidney disease, hydronephrosis, small echogenic kidneys, renal masses
How is GFR semi-precisely estimated in a clinical test?
Clearance of creatinine, with urine collected over 24 hours (not perfect because creatinine is slightly secreted)
Ccr = Ucr*V/Pcr
What is the Cockcroft-Gault equation for estimating GFR based on creatinine?
Ccr = (140-age)(body wt in kg) / (72 * serum creatinine in mg/dL) * 0.85 if female
0.85 in females because women are less muscular for the same body weight -> less creatinine should be being produced
Based on the Cockrcroft-Gault equation, if two people have the same serum creatinine, what will be the person with the highest GFR (ideally)?
Young male who is very heavy (high body wt)
Basically young male body builders
What equation takes into account a patient’s race, BUN, and albumin as well? What affect does race have?
Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation (MDRD)
If you are black, your GFR is increased -> kidneys are overactive
What equation is thought to be more accurate than MDRD if eGFR > 60 mL/min?
CKD-EPI equation
Is serum creatinine a good marker for GFR alone? When can it not be used?
No -> it must be used in combination with age, sex, wt
Cannot be used whenever it is unstable
If a person is very muscular and eats a lot of meat, will predicted GFR change?
Yes -> GFR will be estimated to be too low by the equation -> buildup of creatinine due to high intake
In reality, the GFR will be higher
What drugs can influence GFR calculation and why?
Cimetidine and trimethoprim
-> block tubular secretion of creatinine, raising serum creatinine levels -> causes an artificial fall in calculated GFR even though it hasn’t changed
What is a new endogenous marker which may take the place of creatinine in the future?
Cystatin C -> produced by all nucleated cells, rate of production is relatively constant
How does criteria for CKD change with age in terms of GFR?
It doesn’t -> stays at 60 mL/min
-> even though your GFR drops when you age, it should still stay above 60
What are the two factors which help classify patients with CKD? What is this staging useful for?
- GFR
- Degree of albuminuria
Staging useful for risk stratification and guiding management of patients
What happens as you go from stage G1-G5, and what is G5 marked by? What is this called?
Progressive decline in GFR
G5 is marked by GFR<15 -> dialysis-dependent kidney failure (renal replacement therapy)
If you need renal replacent therapy (kidney transplant or dialysis), it is called End Stage Renal Disease
What effect does albuminuria have on all-cause mortality depending on GFR?
Independent of GFR, a rise in albuminuria (A1->A3) will cause a rise in all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, progressive kidney disease, AKI
What are the two most common causes of CKD?
Diabetes and hypertension
What initiates CKD in general and what happens immediately afterwards?
Loss in number of functioning nephrons (whatever the cause)
- > decreased perfusion pressure and solute delivery to macular densa due to loss of functioning in nephrons leads to afferent arteriolar vasodilation to increase blood flow, and activation of RAA system. AT2 will vasoconstrict the efferent arteriole
- > increases GFR = hyperfiltration of remaining functional nephrons
What are the consequences of the increased intraglomerular pressure and hyperfiltration in the remaining functional nephrons?
This maintains the GFR initially, but leads to capillary wall stretching, which promotes mechanical injury to endothelial cells, mesangial cells, and podocytes
What happens when there is mechanical injury to endothelial cells in CKD?
Disintegration or detachment of endothelium leads to local exposure of GBM, and ECM is exposed to bloodstream.
Leads to microthrombi with thrombosis -> glomerular tuft becomes partially or totally fibrotic after organization
What happens when there is mechanical injury to mesangial cells in CKD?
Synthesis of cytokines, growth factors, and inflammatory eicosanoids.
Mechanical stretch also stimulates collagen production
- > fibrosis and progressive destruction of glomeruli
- > when complement and Ig’s leak in it can maintain the inflammation
What leads to albuminuria in CKD?
Mechanical injury to podocyte -> rupture of slit diaphragm, impairing glomerular barrier function, with podocyte rupture, necrosis, or apoptosis.
How does plasma protein leak into the interstitium in CKD?
Loss of podocytes favors fixation of glomerular tuft to parietal layer of bowman’s capsule.
As the glomerular tuft becomes stuck to the wall, sclerosis allows plasma proteins to leak into the interstitium