Non-Protein Nitrogens and Glomerular Function Tests Flashcards
List the non-protein nitrogen compounds
- Amino acids: 20%
- Ammonia (deamination): 0.2%
- Creatine (muscle contraction): 2%
- Creatinine (muscle creatine): 5%
- Urea (detoxification of ammonia): 45%
- Uric acid (purine metabolism): 20%
2 specific sources of urea
- Detoxification product of ammonia from the urea cycle
- Product of dietary protien intake
3 sites in the nephron where urea is filtered, reabsorbed, or secreted
- Filtered: freely filtered in glomerulus
- Reabsorbed: 40-50% in PCT
- Secreted: Loops of Henle
Urea
- Relative usefulness for glomerular function assessment compared to creatinine
The BEST clinical use of BUN measurements lies w/ concomitant creatinine measurements
Urea
- 2 principal diagnostic uses of its measurement
Pre-renal and post-renal azotemia problems
Reference range of urea
8-26 mg/dL
5 factors that affect BUN levels
- State of hydration (affects renal blood flow rate)
- Renal function (but not until GFR falls to 50% of normal)
- Liver funciona
- Amount of protein in diet
- Amount of protein breakdown body
5 conditions that increase the nitrogen load
- Febrile illness
- Corticosteroid or tetracycline therapy
- Large protein ingestion
- GI bleed w/ blood absorption in gut
- Elevated thyroid hormone concentration
4 conditions that decrease the nitrogen load
- Low protein diet
- ↑ androgens
- Growth hormone
- Pregnancy
What test should be analyzed along w/ BUN in order to obtain the best assessment of renal function?
Creatinine
5 pre-renal causes of azotemia due to decreased blood flow to the kidney and decrease urea filtration
- Congestive heart failure
- Shock
- Hemorrhage
- Dehydration
- Marked decrease in blood volume
What is one cause of renal azotemia?
Renal failure
What are the 3 causes of post-renal azotemia that cause decreased excretion of urea?
- Reanl lithiasis (stones)
- Tumors of the bladder or prostate
- Severe infections
3 specific sources of creatine
- Kidneys
- Liver
- Pancreas
Enzyme necessary for conversion of creatine to phosphocreatine
Creatine Kinase (CK)
1 specific source of creatinine
Anhydride byproduct of creatine
3 sites in the nephron where creatinine is filtered, reabsorbed, or secreted
- Filtered: freely
- Reabsorbed: not reabsorbed by tubules
- Excreted: at constant rate w/ insignificant secretion
Creatinine
- 3 reasons why creatinine’s measurement may be used to estimate the GFR
- Freely filtered by glomeruli
- Not reabsorbed by tubules
- Excreted at constant rate w/ insignificant secretion
Creatinine
- Usefulness for detecting early glomeruluar dysfunction
- Detect kidney disease (decreases as disease worsens)
- Monitor patients w/ known renal disease
- Plan life sustaining therapy for those w/ end-stage renal disease
- Adjust drug dosage for agents excreted by kidney
Creatinine
- Reference range for men and women
- Men: 0.9-1.5 mg/dL
- Women: 0.8-1.2 mg/dL
4 clinical uses of GFR calculations
- Detect kidney disease (decreases as disease worsens)
- Monitor patients w/ known renal disease
- Plan life sustaining therapy for those w/ end-stage renal disease
- Adjust drug dosage for agents excreted by kidney
What chemical creatinine method has creatinine reacting directly w/ picrate ions under alkaline conditions to form a red-orange complex?
Principle of Jaffe creatinine method
Special reagents used in Jaffe creatinine method
Alkaline picrate ions
3 enzymes used for enzymatic determination of creatinine
- Creatininase
- Creatininase and creatinase
- Creatinine iminohydrolase
Normal ratio of BUN: creatinine
12:1-20:1
Specific cause for a constant ratio of 10:1-15:1 in the BUN:creatinine ratio
Patient probably has intrinsic renal disease