List 3 functions of the kidney?
Primary role: maintain fluid and electrolyte homeostasis in response to blood pressure and hormones
How do you measure kidney function?
Measure what is going out in urine or what’s left in the blood
What is the role of the glomerulus?
What is the glomerular filtration barrier (GFB)?
What controls blood flow through the glomerulus?
ie. describe what happens when a low blood volume is recognised
Reduced blood vol / low BP
What is the pathway for filtration/reabsorption etc at the nephron?
In context of kidney function, which aspects of a dipstick are important?
How do you measure urinary protein excretion?
What is proteinuria and what’s the pathology?
What is haematuria and how is it caused?
Haematuria: presence of blood in the urine
What makes a substance ideal to measure in urine?
What is the best substance to measure kidney function?
What are the 3 most important measurements for determining kidney function?
how is creatinine released into the blood and what affects it?
When is urea released into the blood and how are levels affected?
What is the pathway in the nephron?
Define renal clearance
Renal clearance = volume of plasma which would be cleared of the substance per unit time
What information is needed to measure eGFR?
What units is it expressed in?
In what situation can it not be used?
What else needs taken into account?
MDRD*4 formula:
Not suitable in AKI (ie. not valid when kidney function is changing rapidly)
What are the stagings for chronic kidney disease with eGFR?
Stage 1: eGFR >90 with another abnormality*
Stage 2: eGFR 60-89 with another abnormality*
*patients with eGFR >60 should be regarded as normal unless other evidence of kidney disease eg. persistant haematuria or proteinuria
Only considered to have CKD if eGFR <60
Stage 3: eGFR 30-59 is CDK with moderate impairment
Stage 4: 15-29 is CDK with severe impairment
Stage 5: <15 is CKD with advanced impairment. Any patient on dialysis is considered stage 5.
Define glomerulonephritis
What is a complication of glomerulonephritis?
Inflammatory disease involving the glomerulus and disruption of the glomerular filtration barrier
What cells are present in the glomerulus?
What are their roles?
What would damage of these cells lead to?
Parietal epithelial cell: lines Bowman’s capsule
Podocyte: sits on the outside of the glomerular membrane
Mesangial cell: controls the matrix between the capillaries and produces mesangial matrix
Endothelial cell: affected more often in systemic disease
What are the targets for injury in glomerulonephritis?
What are the pathological mechanisms involved in glomerulonephritis
Targets: cells
Pathological mechanisms
Many conditions are associated with glomerulonephritis. Give 3 examples
CV: SBE (subacute bacterial endocarditis)
Resp: lung cancer, TB
Infectious Disease: Hepatitis, HIV, chronic infection, Abx
Rheum: RA, lupud, amyloid, CT disease
Drugs: NSAIDs, bisphosphonates
Gastro: ALD, IBD, coeliac disease
Diabetes
Haem: myeloma, CLL, polycythaemia rubra vera (PRV)
Label the diagram


When do symptoms appear with kidney damage?
How do you approach a patient with suspected glomerulonephritis?