Physiology of Micturition Flashcards
Why is it important to be able to assess renal function?
Because it plays a central role in homeostasis
When is the ability to measure GFR particularly useful?
- In patients with renal disease
- When administering certain drugs
What is the total GFR equal to?
Sum of all filtration by functioning nephrons
What about the GFR would indicate progression of disease?
Reduction in GFR
In patients with renal disease, what does progression of the underlying disease process result in?
Nephron destruction and decrease in nephron function
Why may you need to adjust the dose of certain drugs in decreased renal function?
Many drugs eg digitalis and many antibiotics are removed from the body by excretion by filtration. When GFR falls, excretion falls so that [drug] in plasma may rise causing toxicity
What is used to measure renal function?
Plasma clearance tests
What do plasma clearance tests measure?
The ability of the kidney to clear the plasma of various substances
What does clearance relate to?
Clearance relates to a volume of plasma cleared NOT a quantity of substance removed from the plasma
What is the calculation for plasma clearance?
Plasma clearance is equal to urine concentration of x times the urine flow rate divided by the plasma concentration of x
What is the gold standard substance used to calculate plasma clearance?
Inulin (polyfructose)
How is inulin used to assess plasma clearance?
- Loading IV dose of inulin
- Allow time to equilibrate
- Sample simultaneously plasma and urine (during a timed urine sample)
Why can inulin clearance be used to meaure GFR?
Inulin is freely filtered at the glomerulus and neither reabsorbed nor secreted. It is not metabolized by the kidney, nor does it interfere with normal renal function so inulin clearance is a measure of GFR.
What substances will have a lower clearance than inulin?
Substances filtered and reabsorbed will have a lower clearance than inulin, because [UX] will be less than if only filtered and [PX] higher. uese
What substances will have a higher clearance than inulin?
Substances filtered and secreted will have a higher clearance than inulin because [UX] will be higher and [PX] lower.
What is the normal GFR in man?
125mls/min
What does GFR correlated with?
Surface area
How does GFR differ between men and women?
Women have ~10% lower GFR than men even after corrected for surface area
How much does GFR decline each year?
~1ml/min/year after 30 years of age
Why is inulin no longer used in clinical practice?
It is too cumbersome
What is used in clinical practice instead of inulin now?
51Cr-EDTA is used instead, a suitable radioactive substance that is handled by the kidney in the same way as inulin.
What is routinely used to estimate GFR?
Creatinine clearance
What is creatinine?
Creatinine is endogenous (breakdown produce of muscle creatine
What do formulae using serum creatinine to estimate GFR take into account?
Confounding variables
What factors can affect serum creatinine?
- Muscle mass: athletes vs malnutrition
- Dietary intake: creatinine supplements vs vegetarians
- Drugs: Some lead to spurious increases as does ketoacidosis
Why is GFR sometimes expressed as a percentage of normal?
Variability across range of adults, sexes for kidney function and size
What is the clearance of glucose?
0
Why is the clearance o of glucose 0?
It is normally all reabsorbed
Why is the clearance of urea less than that of inulin?
Some urea is reabsorbed
What is used to measure renal plasma flow?
The organic anion para-amino-hippuric acid (PAH)
How is PAH processed through the kidney?
PAH is freely filtered at the glomerulus and then the PAH remaining in the plasma is actively secreted into the tubule so that > 90% of plasma is cleared of its PAH content in one transit of the kidney.
What is renal plasma flow?
The plasma flowing through the kidneys in a given time