RENAL SYSTEM Flashcards
What are some presenting symptoms in a genitourinary history for renal issues?
Change in urine appearance, abnormalities of micturition, suprapubic or flank pain, and systemic symptoms of renal failure.
What are the main elements of a renal system physical examination?
General impression, normal vital signs, inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.
Describe the blood supply to the kidneys.
Supplied by renal arteries with branches: inferior adrenal, capsular, and ureteric arteries; these divide into segmental arteries and arterioles serving glomeruli.
What nerves innervate the kidneys?
The renal plexus with sympathetic nerves, receiving inputs from the coeliac and aorticorenal plexuses and the least splanchnic nerve.
List some general physical signs of renal disease.
Pallor, edema, muscle wasting, petechiae, pruritus, hypertension, and asterixis.
What is Beau’s lines and how do they appear?
Transverse linear depressions on nails indicating arrested growth due to factors like anticancer therapy or malnutrition.
What are some causes of dry skin (xeroderma)?
Advanced age, dehydration, certain medications, cold climate, and dermatological conditions.
How is dehydration assessed in patients?
By checking for dry mucous membranes and reduced skin turgor.
Define anasarca
Generalized edema, often due to conditions like heart failure, kidney disease, or hypoalbuminemia.
What are “half and half nails”?
Nails with distinct transverse bands, associated with chronic renal failure and other diseases.
Describe an arterio-venous fistula.
A surgically created connection between an artery and vein for hemodialysis access in chronic kidney disease.
What is uraemia?
Accumulation of urea and other waste products due to kidney failure, often presenting with sallow skin and malaise.
What is uraemic frost?
Fine white powder of crystallized urea on the skin, seen in terminal chronic kidney disease.
What is uraemic fetor?
A fishy or musty smell in the breath due to high urea concentration in saliva.
What can cause discoloured urine?
Hematuria, hemoglobinuria, infections, and medications.
What are common causes of urinary retention?
Urethral obstruction, autonomic neuropathy, medications, and spinal cord lesions.
Define cystitis and its common causes.
Inflammation of the bladder, usually from bacterial infections like E. coli.
What are symptoms of acute pyelonephritis?
Fever, loin pain, bacteriuria, and sometimes nausea and vomiting.
What is Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)?
Rapid kidney function impairment, characterized by increased serum creatinine and reduced urine output.
Describe Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
A progressive decline in kidney function with a spectrum of underlying pathologies.
What is nephrotic syndrome?
Characterized by heavy proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, hypercholesterolemia, edema, and hypertension.
What are renal stones and their main types?
Calcifications in the urinary tract, mainly calcium oxalate and phosphate stones.
What is the function of the glomerulus in the kidney?
It filters blood, allowing water and small molecules to pass while retaining larger molecules like proteins and blood cells.
How is periorbital edema related to nephrotic syndrome?
It is a classic symptom due to severe protein loss and low albumin levels.
Describe polycystic kidney disease (PKD).
A genetic disorder marked by renal cysts and associated with hypertension and progressive CKD.