Renal failure Flashcards
What’s the normal function of the kidneys?
Excretion of salt, water and waste products of metabolism (via urine)
Regulation of acid-base (H+) Regulation of blood pressure (renin)
Production of erythropoietin, activation of vitamin D (1α OHase)
Excrete (water soluble) drugs/metabolites
How must plasma creatinine be interpreted?
Plasma creatinine must be interpreted in the context of the individual patient (ideally with previous measurements)
eg 200 micromol/l represents much more severe renal impairment in elderly, females, small, low muscle mass patients than in younger, muscular individuals
What is acute renal failure/acute kidney injury?
Rapid loss of renal excretory function (over hours or days rather than weeks).
• Implies reversibility if underlying condition can be successfully treated.
There are three stages: pre-renal, renal, post-renal.
Pre-renal:
• Salt and water depletion (diarrhoea, vomiting, diuretics, fever, poor fluid intake)
• Haemorrhage (esp. gastrointestinal)
• Hypotension (heart failure, drugs, sepsis, shock)
• Renovascular disease
Renal: • Tubular necrosis (85%) more than half are originally due to pre-renal factors, remainder due to tubular toxins
• Interstitialnephritis(10%)
• Acute glomerulonephritis (5%)
Post-renal:
• Obstructiontooutflowfrombothkidneysorto outflow from a single functioning kidney
• Esp. prostate in males, Ca. cervix in females
• Rememberretroperitonealfibrosis,neurogenic bladder
• Intra-renal obstruction eg. Crystals or casts (esp. myeloma)
• Prognosisdependsonthatofunderlying condition, and on duration of obstruction
What is chronic renal failure/chronic kidney disease?
Slowly progressive loss of excretory renal function. Original cause often unknown, usually irreversible
• Management aimed at slowing progression (esp. blood pressure control) and at consequences
What are the consequences of renal failure?
Accumulation of: K+, urea, creat., H+, water, PO43-
Deficiency of: Erythropoietin- anaemia
Deficiency of: 1a vitamin D3 - hypocalcaemia - hyper-PTH
• Delayed drug excretion
What happens in renal replacement therapy?
- Erythropoietin
- Vitamin D (one-alpha) • (Sodium bicarbonate)
- Dialysis & transplantation
What anticoagulants are used?
- Heparin for dialysis: allow delay
- Warfarin for access patency
- Aspirin
What are the general consequences of immunosuppression?
- Infection (correlation with corticosteroid dosage)
- Viral transmission with transplant (esp. CMV)
- Malignancy (esp. viral eg lymphoma, skin, cervix) [importance of UV exposure and skin type]
- Hypertension, dyslipidaemia, osteopaenia
What are the adverse affects of cyclosporin?
- Nephrotoxicity
- Tremor
- Hirsutism
- Gingival hypertrophy (additive effect with nifedipine)
- Interactions (esp. macrolides, diltiazem)
Dental care after renal transplantation?
- Good oral hygiene essential
- Gingival hypertrophy (cyclosporin, nifedipine)
- Increased susceptibility to infection • Antibiotic prophylaxis • Drug interactions esp. erythromycin etc.