urinary system

• both nephr- and ren- mean kidney
• the left kidney is located behind the spleen and the right one is behind and below the liver
• the kidney has 3 regions: cortex, medulla and the renal pelvis
• cortex: outer layer of the kidney, contains millions of nephrons and does the filtration
• medulla: inner layer of the kidney and contains collecting ducts
• pelvis: funnel-shaped structure that forms the ureter
• kidney functions:

  • filtration of the blood
  • regulation of blood volume
  • maintenance of homeostasis
  • secretion of renin - erythropoietin
  • synthesis of vitamin D
• renal cell carcinoma is the most common kidney tumor, that is twice as common in men
• Wilms tumor is a malignant kidney tumor that is most common in children
• benign kidney tumors are mostly asymptomatic and are usually found incidentally on imaging
• hematuria: blood in the urine, can be caused by lesions or medication
• acute glomerulonephritis is an inflammation of the glomerulus
• chronic glomerulonephritis can occur with no history of kidney disease and can present as kidney failure
• nephrotic syndrome is a condition where there is excessive protein in the urine so the levels of protein in the blood drop
• interstitial nephritis is inflammation of the space between the renal tubes and it is mostly acute and temporary
• pyelonephritis is the infection of the renal pelvis and mostly occurs as part of a UTI
• primary hypertension can cause the thickening and narrowing of arterioles and glomerulli
• polysystic kidney disease causes large fluid-filled cysts to form in the kidneys, it is inherited
• acute renal failure causes kidneys to suddenly stop filtering waste products from the blood
• chronic renal failure is a gradual loss of renal function
• end-stage of renal disease is when the kidney function is less than 10% of normal
• with end-stage renal disease life cant be sustained and there is kidney transplants or dialysis needed
• anuria: absence of urine production
• azotemia: high levels of nitrogenous waste products in the blood
• oliguria: scanty production of urine
• uremia: high levels of urea in the blood, caused by kidney failure
• EMT-P: Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic
• IVP: Intravenous pyelogram
• KUB: X-ray of kidney, ureter, bladder
• VS: vital signs
• ARF: acute renal failure
• CUD: chronic kidney disease
• ESRD: end-stage renal disease
• PKD: polysystic kidney disease
• GI: gastrointestinal
• UTI: Urinary Tract Infection
• the internal urethral sphincter is controlled involuntarily while the external is controlled voluntarily
• external urinary meatus: opening of the urethra to the outside
• urinary incontinence is a lesser control of the bladder
• stress incontinence is caused by sudden pressure of the bladder