URINARY Vacular Flashcards
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)
A condition that can occur when the small blood vessels in the kidneys become damaged and inflamed. This damage can cause clots to form in the vessels. The clots clog the filtering system in the kidneys and lead to kidney failure, which could be life-threatening.
SYMPTOMS: vomiting, bloody diarrhea (loose stool/poop), stomach pain, fever, chills, and headache. As infection progresses, persons may experience fatigue, weakness, fainting, bruising, and palenes
CAUSE: The most common cause of HUS — particularly in children under the age of 5 — is infection with certain strains of E. coli bacteria. E. coli refers to a group of bacteria normally found in the intestines of healthy humans and animal
Hypertensive Kidney Disease (Nephrosclerosis)
Progressive kidney damage caused by long-standing, poorly controlled high blood pressure (hypertension). The person may develop symptoms of chronic kidney disease such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, itching, and confusion.
SYMPTOMS: The person may develop symptoms of chronic kidney disease such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, itching, and confusion.
CAUSE: long-standing, poorly controlled high blood pressure (hypertension). The person may develop symptoms of chronic kidney disease such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, itching, and confusion
Renal Artery Stenosis
Renal artery stenosis is the narrowing of one or more arteries that carry blood to your kidneys (renal arteries).
Narrowing of the arteries prevents enough oxygen-rich blood from reaching your kidneys. Your kidneys need adequate blood flow to help filter waste products and remove excess fluids. Reduced blood flow to your kidneys may injure kidney tissue and increase blood pressure throughout your body.
The narrowing of one or more arteries that carry blood to your kidneys (renal arteries). Narrowing of the arteries prevents enough oxygen-rich blood from reaching your kidneys. Your kidneys need adequate blood flow to help filter waste products and remove excess fluids.
SYMPTOMS: Renal artery stenosis often doesn’t cause any signs or symptoms until it’s advanced. The condition may be discovered incidentally during testing for something else. Your health care provider may also suspect a problem if you have:
High blood pressure that begins suddenly or worsens without explanation
High blood pressure that begins before age 30 or after age 50
As renal artery stenosis progresses, other signs and symptoms may include:
High blood pressure that’s hard to control
A whooshing sound as blood flows through a narrowed vessel (bruit), which your doctor hears through a stethoscope placed over your kidneys
Elevated protein levels in the urine or other signs of a problem with kidney function
Worsening kidney function during treatment for high blood pressure
Fluid overload and swelling in your body’s tissues
Treatment-resistant heart failure
CAUSE: The two main causes of renal artery stenosis include:
Buildup on kidney (renal) arteries. Fats, cholesterol and other substances (plaque) can build up in and on your kidney artery walls (atherosclerosis). As these deposits get larger, they can harden, reduce blood flow, cause kidney scarring and eventually narrow the artery. Atherosclerosis occurs in many areas of the body and is the most common cause of renal artery stenosis.
Fibromuscular dysplasia. In fibromuscular dysplasia, the muscle in the artery wall doesn’t grow as it should. This often begins in childhood. The renal artery can have narrow sections alternating with wider sections, giving a bead-like appearance in images of the artery.
The renal artery can narrow so much that the kidney doesn’t get enough blood. This can lead to high blood pressure at a young age. This can happen in one or both kidneys. Experts don’t know what causes fibromuscular dysplasia, but the condition is more common in women and may be something that’s present at birth (congenital).
Narrowed kidney arteries and fibromuscular dysplasia can affect other arteries in your body as well as your kidney arteries and cause complications.
Rarely, renal artery stenosis results from other conditions such as inflammation of the blood vessels or a growth that develops in your abdomen and presses on your kidneys’ arteries.
Possible complications of renal artery stenosis include:
High blood pressure
Kidney failure, requiring treatment with dialysis or a kidney transplant
Fluid retention in your legs, causing swollen ankles or feet
Shortness of breath due to a sudden buildup of fluid in the lungs
Renal Infarction
The compromise of arterial blood supply to the kidney resulting in cell necrosis and loss of renal function. It has several causes, such as thrombo-emboli originating from the heart or in situ thrombosis. Patients typically present with flank pain; some may have microscopic or frank hematuria.
SYMPTOMS: Flank pain, persistent and often accompanied by nausea or vomiting, appears to be the most common initial symptom. Other presenting complaints include pain in the abdomen, back or chest. Small kidney infarcts can be painless and some patients present simply with fatigue
CAUSE: The two major causes of renal infarction are thromboemboli and in situ thrombosis. Thromboemboli usually originate from a thrombus in the heart or aorta, and in situ thrombosis is usually due to an underlying hypercoagulable condition or injury to or dissection of a renal arter
