Glossario

• Rene

  one of a pair of vertebrate organs situated in the body cavity near the spinal column that excrete waste products of metabolism, in humans are bean-shaped organs about 4½ inches (11½ centimeters) long lying behind the peritoneum in a mass of fatty tissue, and consist chiefly of nephrons by which urine is secreted, collected, and discharged into the pelvis of the kidney whence it is conveyed by the ureter to the bladder.

• end-stage renal desease

  the final stage of kidney failure (as that resulting from diabetes, chronic hypertension, or glomerulonephritis) that is marked by the complete or nearly complete irreversible loss of renal function -- called also end-stage kidney disease, end-stage kidney failure, end-stage renal failure.

• Polycystic kidney disease

  either of two hereditary diseases characterized by gradually enlarging bilateral cysts of the kidney which lead to reduced renal functioning: a : a disease that is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait, is usually asymptomatic until middle age, and is marked by side or back pain, hematuria, urinary tract infections, and nephrolithiasis b : a disease that is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, usually affects infants or children, and results in renal failure.

• Pulpy kidney

  a destructive enterotoxemia of lambs caused by a bacterium of the genus Clostridium (C. perfingens) and characterized by softening and degeneration of the kidneys and often by accumulation of fluid about the heart -- called also pulpy kidney disease.

• Nephron

  a single excretory unit especially of the vertebrate kidney typically consisting of a Malpighian corpuscle, proximal convoluted tubule, loop of Henle, distal convoluted tubule, collecting tubule, and vascular and supporting tissues and discharging by way of a renal papilla into the renal pelvis.

• Glomerulonefrite

  nephritis marked by inflammation of the capillaries of the renal glomeruli.

• Nefrite

  acute or chronic inflammation of the kidney affecting the structure (as of the glomerulus or parenchyma) and caused by infection, a degenerative process, or vascular disease.

• Nephrosclerosis

  hardening of the kidney; specifically : a condition that is characterized by sclerosis of the renal arterioles with reduced blood flow and contraction of the kidney, that is associated usually with hypertension, and that terminates in renal failure and uremia.

• Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis

  a slowly progressive chronic glomerulonephritis characterized by proliferation of mesangial cells and irregular thickening of glomerular capillary walls and narrowing of the capillary lumina

• Nephroma

  a malignant tumor of the renal cortex

• Clearance

  the volume of blood or plasma that could be freed of a specified constituent in a specified time (usually one minute) by excretion of the constituent into the urine through the kidneys.

• Creatinina:

  La creatinina è una sostanza che proviene dal metabolismo della creatina che è contenuta essenzialmente nei muscoli. Si può dire in un certo qual modo che è in relazione alla quantità di muscolatura di un soggetto e alla attività dello stesso. Anche questa sostanza viene eliminata dal rene e quindi si accumula in caso di insufficienza renale. La creatinina gode anche di una particolarità: non è riassorbita e non è secreta dai vari segmenti del nefrone renale. (in realtà una modesta quantità di creatinina viene secreta, ma poichè è una quantità irrilevante, possiamo trascurarla a fini pratici). Grazie a queste caratteristiche si può usare la creatinina per valutare la Clearance, cioè la quantità di sangue che viene depurata dal rene nell'unità di tempo.

• Renal Hypertension

  hypertension that is associated with disease of the kidneys and is caused by kidney damage or malfunctioning.

• Renal tubular acidosis

  decreased ability of the kidneys to excrete hydrogen ions that is associated with a defect in the renal tubules without a defect in the glomeruli and that results in the production of urine deficient in acidity.