Renal Flashcards
What are the 2 types of nephron?
Cortical and juxtamedullary
What are the two types of capillary beds in the nephron?
Glomerular capillaries - high hydrostatic pressure (filtration)
Peritubular capillaries - low pressure (reabsorption)
What are the three main processes of urine modification and composition?
Filtration
Reabsorption
Secretion
What is the glomerular filtration rate (GFR)?
The volume of fluid entering the Bowman’s capsule per unit time - 180 L/day or ~120 ml/min
How is fluid driven from the capillaries to the Bowman’s capsule?
Hydrostatic pressure (20% filtration fraction) due to efferent arteriolar having a smaller diameter than affecting arterioles
Describe the epithelium of the glomerular capillaries
Fenestrated and freely permeable to water and many solutes (negatively charged glycoproteins on surface repel ionic proteins). Large molecules cannot pass through
What are the factors that influence ultrafiltration?
Change in capillary hydrostatic pressure
Change in colloid osmotic pressure
Change in filtration constant - kidney disease decreasing no. of glomeruli or increasing membrane thickness
What is colloid osmotic pressure?
The effect of proteins (albumin) on water in capillaries. If hydrostatic pressure
Why is GFR useful?
Tells us how the kidney is functioning to help assess severity of kidney disease and assist drug prescription
Why is insulin clearance useful?
Freely filtered and not reabsorbed, secreted or metabolised. Easily measured in urine to give us a good understanding of GFR
How do we use creatinine clearance to measure eGFR?
Creatinine blood levels remain constant. We take a urine and serum sample and compare concentrations to give eGFR
What is renal plasma flow (RPF)?
The amount of plasma that perfuses the kidneys per unit time
What is a good indicator of RPF?
Clearance of para-aminohippuric acid (PAH)
How does a higher filtration fraction affect tubular reabsorption?
There is a higher colloid osmotic pressure in the peritubular capillaries and therefore greater forces for tubular reabsorption.
What is autoregulation in the kidney?
Ensuring the RBF and GFR remain constant regardless of changes to arterial blood pressure
How is autoregulation in the kidney achieved?
Myogenic effects - change in affecerent arteriole contraction in response to pressure and stretch
Tubuloglomerular feedback - NaCl in filtrate detected by co-transporter in juxtaglomerular apparatus and signal for affront arteriole contraction to decrease GFR
What are the factors affecting RBF and GFR?
Vasoconstrictors - decrease RBF and GFR (sympathetic nerves, angiotensin 2)
Vasodilators - increase RBF and GFR (prostaglandins, PGE2 and PGI2)
What is the clinical relevance of NSAIDs regarding RBF?
NSAIDs block prostaglandin synthesis. If taken when RBF decreased, vasoconstriction may cause acute renal tubular necrosis
What drugs are excreted in bile?
Highly-polar compounds with high molecular weight. Major route for drugs metabolites
How are drugs filtered in the kidney?
All unbound drug and metabolites freely filtered. Protein bound drugs not filtered but can still be excreted (binding weak and reversible)
What are the contraindications between acid and base drug excretion?
Acids and bases are actively secreted so there may be some competition between drugs to be secreted and an increase in drug toxicity.
Why is the acidity or alkalinity or a drug relevant when treating overdoses?
Tubule wall is a lipid barrier - ionised compounds cannot pass through
If overdose with acid drug, alkaline diuresis to ionise drug and prevent reabsorption and vica versa
What should be considered when prescribing drugs when patient has renal impairment?
Drug elimination. If drug is eliminated in urine then drug elimination may be impaired leading to toxicity
What should be considered when prescribing drugs to a new mother?
Whether drug is eliminated in breast milk as may pass to baby
What are the clinical features of acute kidney injury?
Oliguria leading to anuria (little urine to no urine)
Electrolyte imbalance (hyperkalaemia and metabolic acidosis)
High blood urea and creatinine (good diagnostic markers)
What are the clinical features of chronic kidney disease?
Polyuria
Malaise
Confusion
Electrolyte imbalance
How does the composition of plasma solute compare to that of the ultrafiltrate?
Similar concentrations for electrolytes and glucose but much more protein in plasma than ultrafiltrate
What are the normal plasma solute concentrations in mmol/L for Na+, K+, Cl-, HCO3-, H+, glucose and protein?
Na+: 135-145 K+: 3.5-5.0 Cl-: 100-106 HCO3-: 21-28 H+: 37-43 Glucose: 3.9-5.6 Protein: 60-84
What are the normal values for GFR, RPF, PCV (packed cell volume), renal blood flow and cardiac output?
GFR: 120 ml/min RPF: 600 ml/min PCV: 40% Renal blood flow: 1 L/min Cardiac output: 5 L/min
What mechanism is used to transport solutes for reabsorption from the nephron tubule to the peritubular space?
Na+/K+ ATPase pump. Linked to reabsorption of every substance
How do solutes for reabsorption move from peritubular fluid into the peritubular capillaries?
Hydrostatic pressure inside capillaries is lower than colloid osmotic pressure
Why is the proximal tubule highly permeable to water?
To prevent build up of osmotic gradients so tubular fluid is isosmotic with plasma
How does Na+ move from proximal tubule to epithelial cells?
Na+/H+ exchanger
Through tight junctions into lateral space
Symporter mechanisms
Enters alone through membrane channels
What is the process of bicarbonate reabsorption as it cannot pass across apical membrane of epithelial cells?
In lumen: H+ combines with HCO3- to form H2CO3. Dissociates to CO2 and water (catalysed by carbonic anhydrase). Diffusion across apical membrane into epithelial cells.
In epithelial cell: CO2 hydrated to form H2CO3 (catalysed by carbonic anhydrase). Dissociation inside epithelial cell to form HCO3- and H+. HCO3- reabsorbed by capillary and H+ used for Na+/H+ exchanger