U&Es Interpretation Flashcards
What is creatinine?
creatinine is a waste product from protein and muscle breakdown
How is creatinine produced?
- Creatine is a substance produced by the liver
- Creatine is phosphylated to make creatine phosphate
- Creatine phosphate is broken down to ATP an creatinine
How is creatinine excreted?
renally
What does one’s baseline creatinine depend on?
Muscle mass
How is urea produced?
The urea cycle converts ammonia (toxic product of deamination reactions of amino acids) to urea in the liver.
How is ammonia produced?
Ammonia is the waste produced by metabolism of nitrogen-containing compounds like proteins and nucleic acids.
How is urea excreted?
Renally
Is serum creatinine or urea more specific for renal function?
Creatinine (BUT urea increases is increased earlier in renal disease)
What can cause increased urea?
- Dehydration
- GI bleed (protein meal)
- Increased protein breakdown e.g. surgery, infection, malignancy
- High protein intake
- Drugs
What can cause decreased urea?
- Malnutrition
- Liver disease
- Pregnancy
What criteria defines an AKI
- Rise in serum creatinine >50% from baseline OR;
- Urine output <0.5ml/kg/hr for 6 hours
Potential investigations in AKI?
- Urine dipstick
- Bloods – FBC, U&Es, CRP, Ca2+, phosphate, PTH
- VBG – check for metabolic acidosis & low bicarbonate, hyperkalaemia
- Accurate fluid balance chart – requires catheterisation
- Stopping of any renal-excreted drugs
Give 2 causes of pre-renal AKI
- Hypovolaemia/sepsis (most common AKI cause)
- Renovascular disease (e.g. renal artery stenosis)
Describe urea vs creatinine level in pre-renal failure
Both increased but increase in urea > increase in creatinine
Since creatinine is not reabsorbed, but is increased only as a result of reduced GFR, plasma urea concentration tends to rise out of proportion to the rise in plasma creatinine concentration in patients with prerenal AKI, and this results in increased BCR/UCR.
Pre-renal failure can cause intra-renal failure. What complication is most commonly seen/
Acute tubular necrosis
Management of pre-renal failure?
IV fluid resuscitation
What is the most common cause of intrinsic renal failure?
Acute tubular necrosis (ischaemic or nephrotoxic)
Give some causes of intrinsic renal failure
- ATN (ischaemic or nephrotoxic)
- Acute interstitial nephritis
- Acute glomerulonephritis
What type of renal failure would haematuria and/or proteinuria suggest?
Intra-renal failure
In a patient’s history, what may suggest intra-renal failure?
- Causative drugs
- Renal hypoperfusion
- Other glomerulonephritis symptoms
- Haematuria
- Proteinuria
Give some investigations for intra-renal failure?
- Urine dipstick
- Urine protein-creatinine ratio
- Possible further tests:
- Nephritic screen (if suspect glomerulonephritis): ANA, ANCA, anti-GBM, RhF, hepatitis serology, anti-phospholipid Ab
- Renal biopsy – unexplained AKI, glomerulonephritis suspected, positive nephritic screen
- Creatinine kinase – if suspect rhabdomyolysis
- Serum bicarbonate
Management for glomerulonephritis?
Immunosuppressants
Main complication of intra-renal failure?
Irreversible renal damage
Cause of post-renal failure?
Urinary tract obstruction (prostate, stones, structure, tumour, blood clots etc)
Describe urea vs creatinine level in post-renal failure
Increased urea = increased creatinine
1st line imaging in post-renal failure?
Renal tract USS
Management of post-renal failure?
Relieve obstruction e.g. catheterise (urinary/suprapubic) if urethral or nephrostomy if ureteric
Main complication of post-renal failure?
Pyelonephritis (can progress to irreversible renal damage)
What criteria defines CKD?
Presence of marker of kidney damage (e.g. proteinuria) OR decreased GFR for >3 months.
Give 5 common causes of CKD
- Diabetes (2ary glomerular disease)
- Chronic HTN
- Chronic glomerulonephritis diseases (e.g. vasculitis)
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Drugs
Investigation for glomerulonephritis?
Kidney biopsy
Give some complications of CKD
- HTN
- Oedema
- Anaemia
- Renal osteodystrophy
- Hyperkalaemia
- Hyperlipidaemia