Physiology of Micturition and Assessment of Renal Function Urea Creatinine and GFR Flashcards
Why is it important to be able to assess renal function?
It has a central role in homeostasis
What are 2 clinical situations where ability to measure GFR is particularly useful?
- Patients with renal disease, progression of underlying disease leads to nephron destruction and decreased nephron function
- Total GFR = sum of all filtration by functioning nephrons so progression of disease is indicated by reduction in GFR
- Many drugs (such as digitalis and many antibiotics) are removed by excretion by filtration
- When GRF falls excretion falls so [drug] in plasma may rise causing toxicity, therefore may need to adjust disease appropriate to decrease in renal function
What is the total GFR made from?
Sum of all filtration by functioning nephrons
What can happen when GFR falls in terms of drugs?
[Drug] in plasma may rise causing toxicity, therefore may need to adjust disease appropriate to decrease in renal function
What test is done to measure renal function?
Plasma renal tests
What substance is used to measure rnal function in plasma clearance tests?
Various substances, not just one
In plasma clearance tests, what does clearance relate to?
Volume of plasma cleared not the quantity of subtance removed from plasma
What formula describes plasma clearance?
What is the gold standard for performing and plasma clearance test?
- Insulin clearance, polyfructose, loading IV dose of insulin, allow time to equilibrate, then sample simultaneously plasma and urine (during a timed urine sample)
Why is insulin clearance a good measure of GFR?
Insulin if freely filtered at the glomerulus and neither reabsorbed nor secreted, it is not metabolised by the kidney nor does it interfere with normal renal function so insulin clearance is a measure of GFR:
How does the clearance of substances filtered and resborbed compare to insulin?
Lower clearance, because [UX] will be less than if only filtered and [PX] higher
How does the clearance of substances filtered and secreted compare to insulin?
- a higher clearance than because [UX] will be higher and [PX] lower
In the formula for plasma clearance of x, what is Ux?
Urine concentration of x
In the formula for plasma clearance of x, what is V?
Urine flow rate
In the formula for plasma clearance of x, what is Px?
Plasma concentration of x
What is the normal GFR in ml/min?
125ml/min
Why are GFR values in woman lower than in men?
GFR correlates with surface area, which woman generally have less of in their kidneys
How does GFR change with age?
- GFR declines by about 1ml/min/year after 30
How does the GFR of woman compare with men?
About 10% lower
What is used to clinical practice to measure GFR?
51Cr-EDTA
In clinical practice insulin is no longer used because too cumbersome (large and heavy), 51Cr-EDTA is used instead, is a radioactive substances handled by kidney in the same way as insulin:
- Its now considered that GFR is usually too complex and expensive to measure
- Takes several hours and requires injection of isotope 51Cr EDTA
Why is insulin no longer used in clinical practive to measure GFR?
Too cumbersome (large and heavy)
Is GFR often measured clinically?
No, it is now considered to usually be too complex and expensive to measure
eGFR is measured instead
What is usually used to estimate GFR?
Creatinine clearance
What is creatinine the breakdown product of?
Muscle creatine
What is a big caution when using creatinine as an estimate for GFR?
Is not a linear relationship
What is the estimated GFR form creatinine written as?
eGFR
What are some factors affecting serum creatinine?
- Muscle mass
- Athletes vs malnutrition
- Dietary intake
- Creatine supplements vs vegetarians
- Drugs
- Some lead to spurious increases as does ketoacidosis
Why is using creatinine to measure GFR flawed?
There are some other factors that impact serum creatinine, thats why it is an estimate of GFR
What is the universal expression for normal GFR?
About 100ml/min/1.73m2:
- Ie across range of adults and sexes, for kidney function and size, so may be expressed as a percentage of normal
What is the clearance of glucose?
0 because all of it is normally reabsorbed
How does the clearance of urea compare to insulin?
Is less than insulin because some of urea is reabsorbed
What does PAH stand for?
Para-amino-hippuric acid
What is para-amino-hippuric acid (PAH)?
An organic anion
What is used to measure real plasma flow?
Para-amino-hippuric acid (PAH)
What does RPF stand for?
Real plasma flow
Why is PAH used to measure RPF?
- Freely filtered a the glomerulus
- Then remaining PAH in 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 the normal renal plasma flow?
660mls/min
How does the clearance of penicillin compare to insulin?
Greater clearance than insulin because filtered and secreted