5.1.2 (e) Kidney failure

Question 1

what causes kidney failure?

Answer 1

infection
increased blood pressure
genetic conditions

Question 2

what is caused by kidney infection?

Answer 2

protein in the urine
blood in the urine

Question 3

why is protein in the urine a symptom of kidney infection?

Answer 3

would suggest that the basement membrane or podocytes are damaged which would allow large plasma proteins to pass into the filtrate

Question 4

what might kidney infections lead to?

Answer 4

inflammation of the kidneys which means that the kidney cells are damaged

could mean that Bowman’s capsule or other parts of the nephron are damaged

Question 5

what might a high blood pressure lead to?

Answer 5

may damage the glomerulus as blood in the afferent arteriole would be at a higher pressure which could damage the capillaries

damage to the capillaries may lead to large plasma proteins getting through

Question 6

what does kidney failure lead to the buildup of?

Answer 6

concentrations of urea and mineral ions

Question 7

what are the effects of urea and mineral ion buildup?

Answer 7

loss of electrolyte balance

build up of toxic urea in the blood

high blood pressure

Question 8

what is the GFR?

Answer 8

glomerular filtration rate

rate at which blood is filtered at the glomerulus

Question 9

what is used to give the GFR?

Answer 9

creatine concentration

Question 10

when can GFR indicate kidney failure?

Answer 10

if the GFR is below normal levels

Question 11

what are the two ways kidney failure is treated?

Answer 11

renal dialysis
transplant

Question 12

what are the 2 types of renal dialysis?

Answer 12

haemodialysis
peritoneal dialysis

Question 13

where does haemodialysis occur?

Answer 13

carried out at the hospital

Question 14

how does haemodialysis work?

Answer 14

blood leaves the body from an artery and flows into the dialysis machine.

machine contains a partially permeable membrane in which dialysis fluid is inserted into

this fluid creates a steep concentration gradient for urea and mineral ions.

this causes urea and mineral ions to leave the blood and diffuse into the dialysis fluid

Question 15

what is the composition of the dialysis fluid?

Answer 15

contains normal glucose levels which prevents glucose being removed

contains normal mineral ions levels which removes excess mineral ions from the blood

contains no urea which means that urea is removed from the blood

Question 16

what direction do the dialysis tubing and blood move in?

Answer 16

a countercurrent system

creates a steep concentration gradient which means faster rate of diffusion

Question 17

diagram of haemodialysis

Answer 17

Question 18

what are the problems with haemodialysis?

Answer 18

• takes a long time
• has to be repeated regularly
• managing if diet needed
• has to go hospital every time
• expensive

Question 19

what is peritoneal dialysis?

Answer 19

a catheter is used to insert dialysis fluid into the peritoneum and is left for hours to allow for excess mineral ions and urea to diffuse into the across the peritoneum and into the dialysis fluid

the fluid is then removed from the peritoneum an replaced with new fluid

Question 20

pros of peritoneal dialysis

Answer 20

can be done from home
patient can carry on with their own life

Question 21

cons of peritoneal dialysis

Answer 21

high risk of infection

Question 22

what is a kidney transplant?

Answer 22

when a new kidney is implanted into a patient’s body to replace the damaged one

Question 23

pros of kidney transplant

Answer 23

cheaper than keeping patient on dialysis

more convenient as patient does not need to attend regular hospital sessions

Question 24

what is the problem with a transplant?

Answer 24

high chance of rejection
risky operation

Question 25

what causes your body to reject a transplanted organ?

Answer 25

the organ’s antigens differ from the self cell antigens which would cause the immune system to recognise it as foreign and attack

Question 26

adv of immunosuppressant drugs

Answer 26

prevent your body rejecting a transplant

Question 27

dis of immunosuppressant drugs

Answer 27

prevent patients from responding to other diseases

Question 28

pros of dialysis

Answer 28

is more resdily available
allows patient to live normal life

Question 29

cons of dialysis

Answer 29

can be expensive
needs constant topping up
need to monitor diet etc

Question 30

cons of transplant

Answer 30

lack of availability