Diuretics and heart failure Flashcards
What medical conditions are diuretics useful for?
- Oedema
- Primary hypertension
- Chronic heart failure
- Nephrotic syndrome
- CKD
- Other unexpected medical conditions e.g. decompensated liver disease
What are common adverse effects of diuretics?
- Hypovolaemia and hypotension: activates RAAS and can lead to kidney injury
- Electrolyte disturbance (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+)
- Metabolic abnormalities (depends on individual drug)
- Anaphylaxis/photosensitivity rash (rare)
Which diuretics are commonly used?
- Loop diuretics
- Thiazides
- Potassium sparing diuretics
- Aldosterone antagonists
What is the mechanism of action of thiazide/thiazide-like diuretics?
- Inhibits Na+/Cl-co-transporter in DCT
- Reduces how much Na+ and Cl- are reabsorbed into the blood
- So reduces how much water leaves tubule and moves into blood
What are some adverse side effects of thiazide/thiazide-like diuretics?
- Hyperuricaemia
- Hyperglycaemia
- Erectile dysfunction
- Increased LDL
- Increased triglycerides
- Hypercalcaemia
- Hypokalaemia
Why do thiazides cause hyperuricaemia?
- Increase uric acid in blood
- Competes with uric acid for organic anion transporters to be excreted
- Leads to gout
Why do thiazides cause hypokalaemia?
- Work in DCT
- Cause increased Na+ in DCT
- This leads to increased Na+ in collecting duct too
- So more Na+ is absorbed via ENac channels
- And therefore more K+ is secreted via ROMK channels
Why do thiazides cause hyperglycaemia?
- Reduces insulin sensitivity in long term
What are the contra-indications of thiazides/thiazide-like diuretics?
- Addison’s disease
- Hypercalcaemia
- Hyponatraemia
- Refractory hypokalaemia
- Symptomatic gout
What are the DDIs of thiazides/thiazide-like diuretics?
- Alcohol
- Amlodipine
- Increased digoxin binding and toxicity
- B blockers - can cause hyperglycaemia, hyperlipidaemia, gout
- Steroids - hypokalaemia
- Lithium toxicity
- Carbamazepine - hyponatraemia
Give some examples of thiazides/thiazide-like diuretics
- Bendroflumethiazide
- Indapamide
What is the mechanism of action of loop diuretics?
- Inhibit Na+/K+/2Cl- transporter
- Reduced Na+/K+/2Cl- reabsorbed
- H2O follows ions by osmosis so remains in the tubule
Which conditions are loop diuretics used to treat and why?
- Direct dilation of capacitance veins - reduces preload
- Likely primary benefit in heart failure
- Acute pulmonary oedema
- Fluid overload in heart failure
- Adjunct in nephrotic syndrome
What are the adverse side effects of loop diuretics?
- Dehydration
- Hypotension
- Hypokalaemia
- Hyponatraemia
- Gout
- Arrhythmia
- Tinnitus
Why do loop diuretics cause tinnitus?
- Ototoxicity
- Inner ear contains Na+/K+/2Cl- transporters like in loop of Henle
- IV furosemide blocks these channels too
Why do loop diuretics cause hypokalaemia?
- Less absorption of Na+ at loop of Henle means that concentration of Na+ in collecting duct is much higher
- ENac channels of collecting duct work harder to remove Na+ downstream
- ROMK channels therefore secrete more K+ to balance charges within cells
What are the contraindications for loop diuretics?
- Hypokalaemia
- Hyponatraemia
- Gout
- Hepatic encephalopathy
What are the DDIs of loop diuretics?
- Aminoglycosides (can cause ototoxicity)
- Digoxin
- Lithium
- Excreted renally - loop diuretics compete with these drugs to be excreted
- Leads to increased digoxin binding and toxicity
- Steroids - hypokalaemia
Give some examples of loop diuretics
- Bumetanide
- Furosemide
What is the mechanism of action of amiloride?
- Block ENac channels
- Reduces Na+ absorption in DCT
- Reduces K+ excretion - K+ sparing
- Often used as adjunct to loop or thiazide diuretics in heart failure to limit loss of K+
What are the adverse side effects of amiloride?
- Hyperkalaemia
- Potential arrhythmia
What are the contraindications of amiloride?
- Addison’s disease
- Anuria
- Hyperkalaemia