Lecture 6: Clinical Renal Failure Flashcards
Renal Failure
Reduction in Kidney Function/GFR
GFR normally 100ml/min (90-110) (think of renal failure as a % of kidney function)
Acute Kidney Injury or Chronic Kidney Disesase
When are blood tests needed re kidney failure?
Collection of non-specific symptoms dont hint to kidney failure w/o blood test evidence
Mainly measure Urea and Creatine levels
Plasma Urea
main excretory product from waste nitrogen
Formed in live from aa (urea cycle)
35g (600mmol) formed per day based on average protein intake
Urea is the major solute in urine contributing to urine osmolarity
What is the amount of Plasma urea dependant on?
Dietary protein intake Protein breakdown (catabolism), increased by infections (septic), trauma, immobilisation Bleeding into GIT (equivalent to high protein diet as blood breaks down, increasing protein levels)
Why could a body builder be referred to a GU specialist?
Lots of muscle = high creatine
Lots of protein in diet = high urea
- doctors think have kidney failure
Renal handling of urea
Urea is Freely filtered
Fraction of Urea reabsorbed in tubules (back diffusion)
Urea Back diffusion increases during slow flow rate (dehydrated patient)
Urea excretion rate DEPENDS on GFR but isnt exact (creatine is more accurate)
Plasma urea as a renal function test
Renal failure –> Decreased GFR –> Decreased urea filtered through glomeruli –> Increased Plasma Urea
Reflects rough index of glomerular function but creatine levels more accurate (as is effected by back diffusion (-ve vs filtration))
Plasma Urea levels Affected by factors other than renal function (protein diet, hydration status, intestinal bleeding)
Dehydrated patient
Dehydrated patient –> decreased volume –> decreased flow –> increased back diffusion –> increased urea reabsorption into tubules –> increased urea in blood
- urea levels rise more than creatinine in dehydration
Creatinine
Derived from creatine in muscle –> peoples levels change depending on the body size
Purely waste product (no biological function)
1% of muscle creatine converts spontaneously to creatine daily (irreversible)
- formation rate propn to muscle mass (8-20mmol/day)
Freely filtered
No tubular reabsorption of secretion –> Clearance rate of creatine is propn to GFR
Increase GFR –> increased filtration –> decreased plasma creatinine
Relationship b/w plasma creatinine and GFR
Increase GFR –> increased filtration –> decreased plasma creatinine
INSENSITIVE index of renal function, failing to detect early renal disease
Muscle mass varies widely in population
Serial plasma creatine measurements can be used to monitor the course of renal disease
graph
Effect on meat and fish intake on creatinine and eGFR
normal creatinine 60-80umol/L
creatinine formation occurs in the meat/fish (esp during cooking) –> plasma creatinine rises by 10-30umol/L after meat/fish meal –> FALSE LOW eGFR (looks like lots of creatinine has been filtered into blood)
THEREFORE: blood sample for creatinine should be taken 12 hours after last consumption of meat/fish
Gold standard measurements of GFR
inulin clearance
51Cr-EDTA clearance (nuclear medicine scan, kidney donors)
- impractical for everyday clinical use (therefore use equations and blood tests)
vs
eGFR estimates GFR via plasma creatinine levels
Factors in eGFR
- Weight: 2x people with same large weight and same creatinine, Fat person would be more likely due to kidney failure rather than muscle mass
- Age: Decreased muscle mass and possible reduction in nephron function (GFR 130 –> 80)
- Gender: due to popn norms, woman tend to have less muscle mass than men
Creatinine as a surrogate measure
- Quantity of waste product produced
2. Ability of the kidney to get rid of the waste product
eGFR
normal GFR 100ml/min
Creatine better than urea in 2x ways re eGRF:
1. More accurate representation of kidney function
2. Accounts for muscle mass
Components of eGFR calculators
- age
- gender
- race
- creatinine
CKD-EPI equation requires: plasma creatinine, age, sex
Limitations of eGFR
eGFR is inaccurate if muscle mass is unusually low or high
- e.g. amputees (renal function looks dispropn good), muscle wasting, body builders
eGFR is only valid for patients in a steady state (stable creatinine levels)
- not valid if creatinine is rising (acute renal failure) or falling (Recovery from acute kidney injury) (good for chronic kidney disease?)
Creatinine levels if different body sizes
Small and v skinny: creatinine 80 = GFR 102
Body builder: creatinine 140 = GFR 102
Fat man: creatinine 140= GFR 60 (lower kidney function due to less muscle mass)
Acute Kidney Injury
Sudden rapid reduction in GFR (decreased blood flow due to other causes 70% of time)
days/weeks
reversible usually
70% due to non-renal causes
- something else bad has happened –> decreased blood flow to kidney –> acute kidney injury
Aetiology of AKI
PreRenal: blood supply has problem in body so cant get to kidneys
Renal: Intrinsic nephron problem
PostRenal: Blockage