Renal structure and function

1. Renal Structure and Function
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2. Kidneys
• Paired
• Retroperitoneal
• Partially protected by the 11th and 12th ribs
• Right slightly lower due to liver
• Surrounded by renal capsule
• Adipose capsule
• Renal fascia
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5. Anatomy
• Hilum (hilus)
• Renal artery and vein
• Cortex
• Medulla
• Renal pyramids and renal papillae
• Major and minor calyces
• Renal Pelvis
• Ureters
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7. • Ureters connect kidneys to urinary bladder
• Urethra leads from bladder outside the
body
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9. • Kidneys make up 1 % of body mass, but
receive about 25% of cardiac output.
• Kidney has two major functions:
1. Filtration of blood
• Removes metabolic wastes from the body,
esp. those containing nitrogen
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10. 2. Regulation:
Blood volume and composition
Electrolytes
Blood pH
Blood pressure
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11. Nephron
• Functional unit of the kidney
• Filtration, tubular reabsorption, tubular
secretion
• Renal corpuscle:
– Glomerulus – capillaries
– Glomerular or Bowman’s capsule
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12. • Bowman’s capsule
– Receives filtrate
• Proximal convoluted tubule
– Reabsorption of water and solutes
• Nephron loop or Loop of Henle
– Regulates concentration of urine
• Distal convoluted tubule and Collecting
duct
• Reabsorption of water and electrolytes
– ADH, aldosterone, ANP
– Tubular secretion
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17. Filtration
• Renal corpuscle
• Filtration membrane
– Fenestrated endothelium of capillaries
– Basement membrane of glomerulus
– Slit membrane between pedicels of podocytes
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18. Forces that influence filtration
• Glomerular blood hydrostatic pressure
• Opposing forces:
– Plasma colloid osmotic pressure
– Capsular hydrostatic pressure
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20. Glomerular Filtration Rate
• Volume of plasma filtered / unit time
• Approx. 180 L /day
• Urine output is about 1- 2 L /day
• About 99% of filtrate is reabsorbed
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22. GFR influenced by:
• Blood pressure and blood flow
• Obstruction to urine outflow
• Loss of protein-free fluid
• Hormonal regulation
– Renin – angiotensin
– Aldosterone
– ADH
– ANP
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23. Juxtaglomerular apparatus
• Juxtaglomerular cells lie in the wall of
afferent arteriole
• Macula densa in final portion of loop of
Henle – monitor Na+ and Cl- conc. and
water
• Control blood flow into the glomerulus
• Control glomerular filtration
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26. Tubular reabsorption
• Water, glucose, amino acids, urea, ions
• Sodium diffuses into cell; actively pumped
out – drawing water with it
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29. • In addition to reabsorption, also have
tubular secretion – substances move from
peritubular capillaries into tubules – a
second chance to remove substances
from blood.
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31. • By end of proximal tubule have
reabsorbed:
• 60- 70% of water and sodium
• about 100% of glucose and amino acids
• 90 % of K+, bicarb, Ca++, uric acid
• Transport maximum – maximum amount
of a substance that can be absorbed per
unit time
• Renal threshold – plasma conc. of a
substance at which it exceeds Tm.
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32. Loop of Henle
• Responsible for producing a concentrated
urine by forming a concentration gradient
within the medulla of kidney.
• When ADH is present, water is
reabsorbed and urine is concentrated.
• Counter-current multiplier
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34. Distal convoluted tubule and
collecting ducts
• What happens here depends on ADH
• Aldosterone affects Na+ and K+
• ADH – facultative water reabsorption
• Parathyroid hormone – increases Ca++
reabsorption
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36. Distal convoluted tubule and
collecting ducts
• Tubular secretion to rid body of
substances: K+, H+, urea, ammonia,
creatinine and certain drugs
• Secretion of H+ helps maintain blood pH
(can also reabsorb bicarb and generate
new bicarb)
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38. Renal diagnostic procedures
• Urinalysis is non-invasive and inexpensive
• Normal properties are well known and
easily measured
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39. pH
• Normally 4.8 – 8.0
• Higher in alkalosis, lower in acidosis
• Diabetes and starvation ↓ pH
• Urinary infections ↑ pH
– Proteus and pseudomonas are urea splitters
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40. Specific gravity
• Normal values 1.025 -1.032
• High specific gravity can cause
precipitation of solutes and formation of
kidney stones
• When tubules are damaged, urine specific
gravity approaches that of glomerular
filtrate – 1.010 – remains fixed = 2/3 of
nephron mass has been lost
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41. • Diabetes insipidus = 1.003
• Diabetes mellitus = 1. 030
• Emesis or fever = 1.040
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42. Microscopic analysis
• Red blood cells – should be few or none
– Hematuria – large numbers of rbc’s in urine
– Catheterization
– Menstruation
– Inflamed prostate gland
– Cystitis or bladder stones
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43. • Casts – precipitate from cells lining the
renal tubules
– Red cells – tubule bleeding
– White cells – tubule inflammation
– Epithelial cells – degeneration, necrosis of
tubule cells
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44. • Crystals –
– Infection
– Inflammation
– stones
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45. • White blood cells
– Pyuria
– Urinary tract infection
• Bacteria
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46. Substances not normally present in
urine
• Acetone
• Bile, bilirubin
• Glucose
• Protein – albumin
– Renal disease involving glomerulus
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47. Blood Urea Nitrogen BUN
• Urea produced by breakdown of amino
acids - influenced by diet, dehydration,
and hemolysis
• Normal range 10-20 mg/ dL
• If the GFR decreases due to renal disease
or blockage, or decreased blood flow to
kidney - BUN increases
• General screen for abnormal renal
function
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48. Creatinine clearance
• Creatinine is an end product of muscle
metabolism
• Muscle mass is constant; creatinine is
constant
• Normal 0.7 – 1.5 mg/ dL in plasma
• Can then be compared to creatinine in
urine over 24 hour period to determine
clearance
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49. • Creatinine clearance is an indirect
measure of GFR and renal blood flow
• Creatinine is neither reabsorbed nor
secreted, just freely filtered.
• Amount excreted = amount filtered
• Useful to monitor changes in chronic renal
function
• Increases with trauma with massive
muscle breakdown
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50. Diagnostic testing
• Inulin clearance - not absorbed or
secreted = GFR
• PAH – para-aminohippuric acid – not
absorbed ; actively secreted = renal
plasma flow
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