9. Diseases of the Urinary Tract

The urinary tract consists of

what makes up the (renal system) kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra

what is the job of the urinary tract?

•Eliminate urine from the body,

•Regulate blood volume and blood pressure,

•Control levels of electrolytes and metabolites

•Regulate blood pH.

what is Polyuria

what is the condition of excessive urine production (over 2.5 liters a day).

what is oliguria

Conditions involving low output of urine (under 400ml a day)

what is anuria 

Conditions involving low output of urine (under 100ml a day)

Ammonia neutralizes formaldehyde.

This means a body whose tissues contain excess amounts of ammonia and other nitrogenous waste will be extremely difficult to embalm.

Ammonia + formaldehyde = hexamethylenetetramine.

Under the brand name urotropin, it’s used as a urinary tract antiseptic and antibacterial medication used for recurrent UTIs

Uremia

•urine in the bloodstream•urine in the bloodstream

Bright’s disease

is an antiquated name for kidney disease in general. (The way dropsy is the antiquated term for edema.)

Glomeruli

(singular glomerulus) are capillary networks in the nephrons in the kidneys. Each kidney contains around a million nephrons. The main job of a glomerulus is to filter plasma. The by-products of that filtration are excreted with urine.

Glomerulonephritis

happens when the glomeruli become inflamed and scarred. If untreated, this can lead to kidney failure.

Hydronephrosis

•is a condition of disease, not a disease itself.

Nephrolithiasis

•means the presence of kidney stones (renal calculi) in the urinary tract.

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD), or polycystic kidney syndrome

•is a genetic disorder. Renal tubules are structurally abnormal, which results in cysts with in the kidney(s). These cysts can develop anywhere from in utero to adulthood.

Renal agenesis

•being born with only one kidney

Renal dysplasia

•abnormal tissue development in one or both kidneys

Renal hypoplasia

•smaller than normal kidneys

Horseshoe kidney aka renal fusion or super kidney

a congenital condition where kidneys fuse during fetal development

Renal cell carcinoma

•is a form of kidney cancer characterized by lack of early warning signs and resistance to radiation and chemotherapy. It frequently metastasizes to the lungs, bone, liver, brain, and soft tissues.

Renal failure

•is the loss of kidney function. It can be acute or chronic.

Acute renal failure

can result from a sudden drop of blood pressure (shock) caused by trauma, surgical complications, septicemia or septic shock, hemorrhage, burns, or dehydration. It can also happen if the renal artery is blocked.

Dialysis

the process of diffusing blood through a semipermeable membrane to filter out toxins when the kidneys cannot do so.

Access to the vascular system often requires that stretched the vein too allow for more blood floow

arteriovenous fistula