Bma Illustrated Medical Dictionary

nephropathyA term for any disease of

or damage to the kidneys.

Obstructive nephropathy refers to kid-

ney damage caused by a urinary tract

calculus(stone), a tumour, scar tissue,

or pressure from an organ that is block-

ing the flow of urine and creating back

pressure within the kidney.

Reflux nephropathy refers to kidney

damage caused by backflow of urine

from the bladder towards the kidney. It

is caused by failure of the valve mecha-

nism at the lower end of the ureter.

Toxic nephropathy refers to damage

caused by various poisons or minerals

(such as carbon tetrachloride or lead).

nephrosclerosisHardening of the art-

erioles and arteries of the kidney.

nephrosisSee nephrotic syndrome.

nephrostomyThe introduction of a

small tube into the kidneyto drain urine

to the abdominal surface, bypassing the

ureter and bladder. Nephrostomy is

sometimes performed after an operation

on the ureter or kidney–ureter junction.

nephrotic syndromeA collection of

symptoms and signs resulting from

damage to the glomeruli (filtering units

of the kidney), causing severe proteinuria

(loss of protein from the bloodstream

into the urine). The

syndrome may be

a result of diabetes

mellitus, amyloido-

sis(accumulation in

tissues of an abnor-

mal protein called

amyloid), glomeru-

lonephritis, severe

hypertension, reac-

tions to poisons,

and adverse reac-

tions to drugs.

The main symp-

tom is swelling of

the legs and face

due to oedema. Al-

so, fluid may collect

in the chest cavity,

resulting in pleural

effusion, or in the

abdomen, causing

ascites. Diarrhoea,

lethargy, and ano-

rexiamay occur.

calculi may need to be broken up before

removal. Other methods of removal are

pyelolithotomyand lithotripsy.

nephrologyThe medical speciality con-

cerned with the normal functioning of

the kidneysand with the causes, diag-

nosis, and treatment of kidney disease.

Methods of investigating the kidneys

include kidney biopsy, kidney function

tests, and kidney imagingtechniques

such as ultrasound scanningand intra-

venous urography. Treatment of kidney

disorders may involve drugs and

surgery and, in advanced cases, dialysis

or a kidney transplant.

nephronThe microscopic unit of the

kidney that consists of a glomerulus (a

filtering funnel made up of a cluster of

capillaries) and a tubule. There are

about 1 million nephrons in each kid-

ney. The nephrons filter waste products

from the blood and modify the amount

of salt and water excreted in urine,

according to the body’s needs. This pro-

cess involves filtration of blood in the

glomerulus followed by further process-

ing as the filtrate flows through the

various parts of the tubule – the proxi-

mal convoluted tubule, loop of Henle,

and the distal convoluted tubule.

NEPHROLOGY NEPHROTIC SYNDROME

N

NEPHRON

Urine

collecting

duct

Proximal

convoluted

tubule

Distal convoluted
tubule

Artery

Glomerulus

Loop of Henle

Vein

Capillaries

Glomerular

capsule

Kidney

LOCATION