Week 3: Common Lab Tests Flashcards
high C reactive protein (CRP) levels in the blood are a non-specific marker for…
inflammation
Electrolytes are minerals dissolved in the blood as …
salts
T or F
Electrolytes can only be found in blood
F
They can also be found in the tissues of the body.
What functions do electrolytes serve in the body?
moving nutrients and waste products into and out of cells, maintaining the body’s acid/base (pH) balance, and maintaining the body’s fluid balance.
high creatine kinase (CK) levels in the blood usually indicate…
muscle damage
Enzymes found in the blood can be markers of … damage or disease.
tissue
T or F
An individual’s pathology result may be outside the reference range without necessarily being indicative of a health issue requiring treatment.
T
When we are measuring kidney function, we are measuring the ability of the kidney to filter blood through the … A key measurement of kidney function therefore is the ….
glomerulus
GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate)
T or F
Reduced kidney function is always considered chronic
F
Reduced kidney function can be an acute problem (Acute Kidney Injury – AKI) or a chronic problem (Chronic Kidney Disease – CKD) and this needs to be interpreted from the blood tests.
To estimate the rate of glomerular filtration (eGFR), blood is tested for the presence of a waste product from muscle tissue called …
creatinine.
Why is creatinine used to measure glomerular filtration rate?
- because it is produced as a breakdown product from muscle at a reliably consistent rate.
- The kidneys generally filter out between 90-95% of creatinine from the body.
T or F
Each method of estimating renal function uses the serum concentration of creatinine as a variable.
T
T or F
Tests to estimate renal function are interchangeable as they all use creatinine as a variable.
F
Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is defined as an abrupt decrease in kidney function which encompasses both … and …
injury (structural damage) and impairment (loss of function).
ACE inhibitors are more likely to precipitate an AKI if a person is …
dehydrated
When it comes to drug causes of AKI, of significant concern is the so-called TRIPLE WHAMMY, which includes what drug classes?
The term triple whammy refers to the concurrent use of an ACE inhibitor or ARB, with a loop diuretic such as furosemide, and an NSAID (ACEi/ARB + Diuretic + NSAID)
Cardiac biomarkers used to diagnose a heart attack or heart failure can include:
Cardiac Troponin (Troponin I or Troponin T)
Creatine Kinase (CK)
Creatine Kinase-MB (CK-MB)
B-Type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) and N-terminal-proBNP (NT-proBNP)
T or F
Cardiac biomarkers can not only be used to diagnose an MI but also indicate the level of damage.
T
Heart attack symptoms in males can include:
- sudden cold sweat
- chest pain or pressure
- shortness of breath
- nausea
- discomfort or tingling in the back, shoulder, arms, neck or jaw
What additional symptoms are more common in females?
- lightheadedness, dizziness
- chest pressure without pain
- vomiting
- a feeling of heartburn/indigestion
- extreme fatigue
- discomfort or tingling in one or both arms
*Note crossover symptoms between genders do occur
Creatine kinase is an enzyme that is found in many tissues of the body. The three isoenzyme forms include:
CK-MM (found in the heart and skeletal muscle, which makes up most of the CK in the blood)
CK-MB (found mostly in heart muscle)
CK-BB (found mostly in the brain)
antipsychotic medications have been associated with a life-threatening condition called …., which can also lead to raised CK levels.
neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS)
T or F
CK elevations are likely to occur following absence seizures or simple and complex partial seifibrates, antiretrovirals, ARBs, immunosuppressants and hydroxychloroquine. zures.
F
unlikely
Elevations in CK levels are common after generalised …-… seizures.
tonic-clonic
List some medication categories that have the potential to impact CK levels.
Statins, fibrates, antiretrovirals, ARBs, immunosuppressants and hydroxychloroquine.
T or F
elevated CK levels are common in patients experiencing alcohol withdrawal syndrome and the more severe the withdrawal the higher the CK levels.
T
Cardiac troponin (cTn) is a complex of what three proteins?
troponin C (TnC), troponin I (TnI), and troponin T (TnT)
T or F
Cardiac troponins are normally found in high concentrations in the blood.
F
These proteins are ordinarily found in cardiac muscle, but not normally found in high concentrations in the blood.
T or F
cardiac ischaemia is always caused by myocardial infarction.
F
often but not always
The major use of troponin assays is to either diagnose or exclude what?
acute myocardial infarction.
T or F
Chest pain is a non-specific symptom
T
What am I?
This biomarker is an enzyme that indicates non-specific muscle damage. It can more than double in people who have had a heart attack but can also be elevated due to other conditions that cause muscle damage.
CK
What am I?
This peptide biomarker is not diagnostic for a heart attack. Rather, it is released as the body’s natural response to heart failure, such as stretching of the heart muscle wall. Increased levels of this biomarker indicate an increased risk of cardiac problems in a person experiencing symptoms of chest pain.
BNP and NTproBNP
What am I?
The most useful cardiac biomarker for diagnosing myocardial infarctions (heart attacks), as it is very specific for the heart.. This biomarker is three different types of proteins joined together, which become cleaved when released from heart muscle. These proteins are useful measures of myocardial damage. These biomarkers stay in the bloodstream days after other biomarkers return to normal levels.
Cardiac troponin
What am I?
cardiac specific subtype of a generalised enzyme biomarker for muscle damage. This marker tends to rise 4 to 6 hours after a heart attack but returns to normal after a day or two, which limits its utility.
CK-MBA
T or F
A biomarker alone is enough to diagnose an MI
F
B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) and N-terminal-proBNP (NT-proBNP) belong to a family of protein hormones called ….
natriuretic peptides.
Natriuretic peptides are released when the heart muscle (ventricular wall of the heart) is …
stretched.
Stretching of the ventricular wall of the heart often occurs in patients who are … overloaded and who have reduced ….
fluid
cardiac output.
T or F
BNP reduces the production of adrenaline and testosterone
F
adrenaline and aldosterone