RENAL Flashcards
What is HUS?
Haemolytic uraemia syndrome
Thrombosis in small blood vessels
What is the triad of HUS?
• Haemolytic anaemia
• AKI
Thrombocytopenia
How does HUS present?
Reduced urine output Haematuria Abdominal pain Lethargy Hypertension Bruising
Who is most commonly affected by HUS?
Children
What is typical HUS?
Secondary to E.coli infection
What is primary HUS?
Caused by complement dysregulation
What is STEC?
Shiga toxic-producing E.Coli
What is the most common cause of HUS? Name three other causes.
E.coli (Shiga toxin) - 90% of cases in children
HIV
Pneumococcal infection
Rare: SLE, drugs, cancer
Which two medications increase the risk of HUS?
Antibiotics
Anti-motility drugs (Loperamide)
Which investigations should be done in HUS?
FBC - anaemia, thrombocytopenia
U&E - AKI
Stool culture - STEC infection, PCR for Shiga toxins
What is the mortality rate of HUS?
10% - medical emergency
How is HUS managed?
Supportive - self-limiting
Anti-hypertensives
Blood transfusions
Dialysis
What percentage of patients will fully recover from HUS?
80%
What is an AKI?
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is defined as an acute drop in kidney function. It is diagnosed by measuring the serum creatinine.
What are the NICE criteria for AKI?
- Rise in creatinine of ≥ 25 micromol/L in 48 hours
- Rise in creatinine of ≥ 50% in 7 days
- Urine output of < 0.5ml/kg/hour for > 6 hours
What are the three stages of AKI according to creatinine?
Stage 1 = ^1.5-1.9x baseline
Stage 2 = ^2-2.9x baseline
Stage 3 = >3x baseline
What are the three stages of AKI according to urine production?
Stage 1 = <0.5ml/kg/hour >6 hours
Stage 2 = <0.5ml/kg/hour >12 hours
Stage 3 = <0.3ml/kg/hour >24 hours OR anuric for 12 hours
What are the risk factors for AKI?
• Chronic kidney disease • Heart failure • Diabetes • Liver disease • Older age (above 65 years) • Cognitive impairment • Nephrotoxic medications such as NSAIDS and ACE inhibitors Use of a contrast medium such as during CT scans
What are the three types of AKI?
- Pre-renal - reducing renal perfusion (hypovolaemia/hypoperfusion)
- Intra-renal - damage to the kidney (ischaemia, sepsis, inflammation)
- Post-renal - outflow obstruction
What is the most common cause of AKI?
Pre-renal
What are the causes of pre-renal AKI?
- Dehydration
- Hypotension/shock (sepsis)
- Heart failure
What are the causes of intra-renal AKI?
- Glomerulonephritis
- Interstitial nephritis
- Acute tubular necrosis
What are the causes of post-renal AKI?
- Kidney stones
- Masses such as cancer in the abdomen or pelvis
- Ureter or urethral strictures
- Enlarged prostate or prostate cancer
Name some drugs that will cause AKI.
Aminoglycosides
Amphotericin
Cytotoxic chemotherapy
Diuretics
Immunosuppressants
Lithium salts
NSAIDs/COX inhibitors
Radiocontrast media
Other
Name some pathological states that are nephrotoxic.
Hypoperfusion
Sepsis
Rhabdomyolysis
Hepatorenal syndrome
What is the best measure of renal function?
eGFR
When should creatinine clearance be used instead of eGFR to estimate renal function?
Elderly Toxic drugs Extremes of muscle mass Drugs with narrow therapeutic window DOACs
What will be seen on urinalysis in AKI?
- Leucocytes and nitrites suggest infection
- Protein and blood suggest acute nephritis (but can be positive in infection)
- Glucose suggests diabetes
What imaging might be needed in AKI?
US - particularly good for obstruction.
What is the approach to management of an AKI?
Prevent the injury and correct the underlying cause: avoid nephrotoxic medications.
- Fluid rehydration with IV fluids in pre-renal AKI
- Stop nephrotoxic medications such as NSAIDS and antihypertensives that reduce the filtration pressure (i.e. ACE inhibitors)
- Relieve obstruction in a post-renal AKI, for example insert a catheter for a patient in retention from an enlarged prostate
Which fluid should be prescribed in a patient with and AKI, hypovolaemia and metabolic acidosis?
Sodium bicarbonate 1.26%
Name 4 complications of AKI.
- Hyperkalaemia - kidneys cannot filter excess potassium
- Fluid overload - pulmonary oedema, heart failure
- Metabolic acidosis - kidneys cannot produce bicarbonate
- Uraemia - encephalopathy (confusion), pericarditis
How is pulmonary oedema treated in AKI?
Haemodialysis
What is acute tubular necrosis?
Damage and death of renal tubular epithelial cells
How does damage to the cells occur in ATN?
Secondary to ischaemia
Directly due to toxins
How long does it take for renal tubular cells to recover?
7-21 days
Name 3 ischaemic causes of ATN.
Shock
Dehydration
Sepsis
Name 3 toxic causes of ATN.
NSAIDs Contrast dyes Aminoglycosides Lithium Heroin
What is seen on urinalysis in ATN?
Muddy brown casts - pathognomonic (only seen in ATN)
Renal tubular epithelial cells
What is the management of ATN?
Supportive:
- Fluids
- Stop nephrotoxic medications
What are the causes of CKD?
Diabetes HTN Age-related decline Glomerulonephritis PKD Drugs - NSAIDs, PPIs, lithium
Which drugs cause CKD?
NSAIDs
PPIs
Lithium
What are the risk factors for CKD?
Older age
HTN
Diabetes
Smoking
Which two parameters are used to classify CKD?
eGFR
Albumin: creatinine ratio
How does CKD normally present?
Asymptomatic
Pruritis Loss of appetite Nausea Oedema Muscle cramps Peripheral neuropathy Pallor HTN
What investigations are done in CKD?
U&E
Urine dipstick
Renal US
How do you diagnose CKD?
2 x eGFR tests
3 months apart
What is the ACR? What result is significant?
Urine albumin: creatinine ratio
>3mg/mmol
What is the G score?
Based on the eGFR (measure of glomerular filtration rate)
• G1 = eGFR >90 • G2 = eGFR 60-89 • G3a = eGFR 45-59 • G3b = eGFR 30-44 • G4 = eGFR 15-29 G5 = eGFR <15 (known as “end-stage renal failure”)
What is the A score in CKD?
The A score is based on the albumin:creatinine ratio:
A1 = < 3mg/mmol A2 = 3 – 30mg/mmol A3 = > 30mg/mmol
What are the complications of CKD?
• Anaemia • Renal bone disease • Cardiovascular disease • Peripheral neuropathy Dialysis related problems
When should you refer a patient to a renal specialist in CKD?
• eGFR < 30
• ACR ≥ 70 mg/mmol
• Accelerated progression defined as a decrease in eGFR of 15 or 25% or 15 ml/min in 1 year
Uncontrolled hypertension despite ≥ 4 antihypertensives
What are the aims of management in CKD?
• Slow the progression of the disease
• Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
• Reduce the risk of complications
Treating complications
How can you slow the progression of CKD?
• Optimise diabetic control
• Optimise hypertensive control
Treat glomerulonephritis
How do you reduce the risk of complications in CKD?
• Exercise, maintain a healthy weight and stop smoking
• Special dietary advice about phosphate, sodium, potassium and water intake
Offer atorvastatin 20mg for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease
How do you treat anaemia caused by CKD?
Iron
EPO
How do you treat HTN in CKD?
ACEi’s offered to all patients:
• Diabetes plus ACR > 3mg/mmol
• Hypertension plus ACR > 30mg/mmol
All patients with ACR > 70mg/mmol
How do you manage end stage renal failure?
- Dialysis in end stage renal failure
- Renal transplant in end stage renal failure
What is allosensitisation?
Blood transfusions should be limited as they can sensitise the immune system (“allosensitisation”) so that transplanted organs are more likely to be rejected.
What is CKD-MBD?
- Osteomalacia (softening of bones)
- Osteoporosis (brittle bones)
- Osteosclerosis (hardening of bones)
What is seen on an XR of the spine in CKD-MBD?
“rugger jersey” spine
sclerosis of both ends of the vertebra (denser white) and osteomalacia in the centre of the vertebra (less white)
How does CKD-MBD result in a secondary hyperparathyroidism?
parathyroid glands react to the low serum calcium and high serum phosphate by excreting more parathyroid hormone.
How is CKD-MBD managed?
- Active forms of vitamin D (alfacalcidol and calcitriol)
- Low phosphate diet
- Bisphosphonates can be used to treat osteoporosis
What is interstitial nephritis?
Inflammation of the cells surrounding the tubules within the kidney.
What are the two types of interstitial nephritis?
Acute interstitial nephritis
Chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis
How does acute interstitial nephritis present?
AKI
HTN
(rash, fever or eosinophilia is hypersensitivity reaction)
Give three causes of acute interstitial nephritis.
Toxins
Infection
Hypersensitivity reaction