Renal Water Electrolytes Flashcards
important functions of the kidneys
- urine formation
- fluid and electrolyte balance
- regulation of acid-base balance
- excretion of waste products of protein metabolism
- excretion of drugs and toxins
- secretion of hormones
macroscopic anatomy of kidneys
- paired, bean-shaped organs located retroperitoneally on either side of the spinal column
- enclosed by fibrous capsule of connective tissue
- outer region: cortex
- inner region: medulla
- connected to urinary bladder through bilateral ureters
microscopic anatomy of kidneys
made up of a million nephrons (functional units of the kidney)
fractional distribution of water in average individuals
- average water content of human body varies between 40-75% of total body weight
- intracellular fluid accounts for two-thirds of total body water
- extracellular fluid accounts for one-third of total body water
five basic parts of a nephron
- glomerulus
- proximal convoluted tubule
- loop of henle
- distal convoluted tubule
- collecting duct
three basic renal processes
- glomerular filtration
- tubular reabsorption
- tubular secretion
factors that facilitate glomerular filtration
- unusually high pressure in glomerular capillaries
- semipermeable glomerular basement membrane
what does the semipermeable glomerular basement membrane allow to pass through?
- allows water, electrolytes, small dissolved solutes, amino acids, low-molecular weight proteins, urea, creatinine to pass through and enter the proximal convoluted tubule
- albumin, many plasma proteins, cellular elements, protein-bound substances are too large to be filtered
- basement membrane is negatively charged, repelling negatively charged molecules like proteins
what and how much does the glomerulus filter out?
- kidneys receive 1200-1500 mL of blood per minute
- glomerulus filters out 125-130 mL of glomerular filtrate (protein-free, cell-free fluid)
functions of the proximal convoluted tubule
- to return the bulk of each valuable substance back to the blood circulation through tubular reabsorption
- to secrete products of kidney tubular cell metabolism
tubular reabsorption
process by which renal tubule substances filtered by the glomerulus are reabsorbed as filtrate passes through tubules
what happens when the concentration of the filtered substance exceeds the capacity of the transport system/renal threshold?
substance is excreted in urine
what does the renal threshold help assess?
tubular function and nonrenal disease states
tubular secretion
passage of substances from peritubular capillaries into tubular filtrate which serves two functions
- eliminating waste products not filtered by the glomerulus
- regulating acid-base balance in the body through secretion of hydrogen ions excreted by kidneys
loop of henle
the u-shaped portion of a renal tubule lying between the proximal and distal convoluted portions
function of loop of henle
- maintains the hyperosmolality that develops in the medulla
- reabsorbs water, sodium, chloride
countercurrent flow
the downward flow in the descending limb and the upward flow in the ascending limb
how does the urine become hypo-osmolal when it leaves the loop of henle?
water leaves in the descending loop and sodium and chloride leave in the ascending loop to maintain a high osmolality within the kidney medulla and creates the osmotic gradient
countercurrent multiplier system
an active process occurring in the loops of henle in the kidney which is responsible for the production of concentrated urine in the collecting ducts of the nephrons
function of distal convoluted tubule
to effect small adjustments to achieve electrolyte and acid-base homeostasis under the hormonal control of both aldosterone and arginine vasopressin (AVP)
arginine vasopressin (AVP)
- peptide hormone secreted by the posterior pituitary
- responds to increased blood osmolality and decreased blood volume
- synthesized in hypothalamus, secreted by posterior pituitary and circulated to kidneys
what does vasopressin stimulate?
makes walls of distal collecting tubules permeable to water for water reabsorption, resulting in a more concentrated urine and decreased plasma osmolality
aldosterone
- hormone produced by the adrenal cortex under the influence of the renin-angiotensin mechanism
- secreted when there is decreased blood flow or blood pressure in the afferent renal arteriole
what does aldosterone stimulate?
sodium reabsorption in the distal tubules and potassium and hydrogen ion secretions
what is reabsorbed in the collecting ducts?
water, sodium, chloride, urea
what is the role of urea in the collecting ducts?
diffuses down the collecting ducts concentration gradient out of the tubule and into the medulla interstitium, increasing its osmolality
what hormones act on the collecting ducts to control reabsorption of water and sodium?
vasopressin and aldsoterone
nonprotein nitrogen compoundns
waste products formed in the body as a result of the degradative metabolism of nucleic acids, amino acids, proteins
what are the three principle nonprotein nitrogen compounds/
urea, creatinine, uric acid
urea
- makes up majority of waste excreted as a result of the oxidative catabolism of protein
- synthesized in the liver
- converted from ammonia
- kidney is only significant route of excretion of urea
- 40-60% reabsorbed by collecting ducts to contribute to high osmolality in medulla
creatinine
- waste product of muscle creatine spontaneously dehydrating
- levels represent a function of muscle mass and remain the same unless muscle mass or renal function changes
- not reabsorbed normally unless high concentration
uric acid
- primary waste product of purine metabolism
- undergoes complex cycle of reabsorption and secretion as it courses through the nephron
- has clinical significance in development of urolithiasis (formation of calculi) and gout
what major system regulates water intake?
thirst
what happens in state of dehydration to the body’s water balance?
renal tubules reabsorb water at their maximal rate, resulting in production of a small amount of maximally concentrated urine
what happens in states of water excess to the body’s water balance?
tubules reabsorb water at a minimal rate, resulting in excretion of a large volume of extremely dilute urine
sodium
- primary extracellular cation
- excreted principally through the kidneys
- major mechanism for controlling sodium balance is renin-angiotensin-aldosterone hormonal system
- freely filtered by glomerulus and actively reabsorbed throughout nephron
- reference range: 136-145 mmol/L
potassium
- main intracellular cation
- controlled by aldosterone to be excreted by the distal convoluted tubule and collecting ducts
- regulates neuromuscular excitability, heart contraction, hydrogen concentration
- competes with hydrogen ions in exchange with sodium
- freely filtered by glomerulus and actively reabsorbed mostly by proximal tubules
- reference range: 3.5-5.1 mmol/L
chloride
- principal extracellular anion
- involved in maintenance of extracellular fluid balance with sodium
- shifts after movement of sodium or bicarbonates
- readily filtered by glomerulus and passively reabsorbed as counterion when sodium is reabsorbed by proximal convoluted tubule
- reference range: 98-107 mmol/L
phosphate
- occurs in higher concentrations in the intracellular than in the extracellular fluid environments
- homeostatic balance is chiefly determined by proximal tubular reabsorption under the control of parathyroid hormone
- affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen
calcium
- second most predominant intracellular cation
- most important inorganic messenger
- parathyroid hormone and calcitonin-controlled regulation of calcium absorption form gut and bone stores is more important than renal secretion or reabsorption
- reabsorbed in proximal tubule, most in loop of henle
magnesium
- major intracellular cation
- important enzymatic cofactor
- ionized fraction is easily filtered by glomerulus and reabsorbed in tubules by influence of parathyroid hormone
glomerular filtration rate (GFR)
a measurement of renal function involving flow rate and filtration capacity over urine; the rate or urine formation as plasma passes through the glomeruli of the kidneys
estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)
equation used to predict glomerular filtration rate based on serum creatinine, age, body, size, and gender without the need of a urine creatinine
glomerular diseases
- acute glomerulonephritis
- chronic glomerulonephritis
- nephrotic syndrome
acute glomerulonephritis
- pathologic lesions
- hematuria and proteinuria (usually albumin)
- rbc casts
- decreased GFR, anemia, elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine, oliguria, sodium and water retention
- often related to recent infection with group a strep