Water retention, renal

Moreover, digitahs has indirect effects on the circulation, which in normal hearts results in a small increase in arterial pressure, peripheral resistance, and cardiac output (114). The effects of digitahs on the circulation of an individual experiencing congestive heart failure are much more dramatic, however. The increased cardiac output, for example, increases renal blood flow which can reheve in part the edema of CHF associated with salt and water retention (114). 

In the kidney, ANG II reduces renal blood flow and constricts preferentially the efferent arteriole of the glomerulus with the result of increased glomerular filtration pressure. ANG II further enhances renal sodium and water reabsorption at the proximal tubulus. ACE inhibitors thus increase renal blood flow and decrease sodium and water retention. Furthermore, ACE inhibitors are nephroprotective, delaying the progression of glomerulosclerosis. This also appears to be a result of reduced ANG II levels and is at least partially independent from pressure reduction. On the other hand, ACE inhibitors decrease glomerular filtration pressure due to the lack of ANG II-mediated constriction of the efferent arterioles. Thus, one important undesired effect of ACE inhibitors is impaired glomerular filtration rate and impaired kidney function. 

There are several underlying mechanisms responsible for posttransplant HTN. Some causes of HTN in transplant recipients may include renal dysfunction, increased sensitivity to endothelin-1 and angiotensin, increased density of glucocorticoid receptors in the vascular smooth muscle, and decreased production of vasodilatory prostaglandins.57 However, one of the most easily recognized causes of posttransplant HTN is the use of corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors.58,59 Corticosteroids usually cause sodium and water retention,57 thus increasing blood pressure, whereas calcineurin inhibitors are associated with a number of effects that may result in HTN, including... 

Vasopressin is a peptide hormone produced by the hypothalamus and secreted by the posterior pituitary in response to stimulation. Normal stimuli for vasopressin release are hyperosmolarity and hypovolemia, with thresholds for secretion of greater than 280 mOsm/kg and greater than 20% plasma volume depletion. A number of other stimuli, such as pain, nausea, epinephrine, and numerous drugs, induce release of vasopressin. Vasopressin release is inhibited by volume expansion, ethanol, and norepinephrine. The physiological effect of vasopressin is to promote free water clearence by altering the permeability of the renal collecting duct to water. In addition, it has a direct vasoconstrictor effect. Consequently, vasopressin results in water retention and volume restoration. In patients with septic shock, vasopressin is appropriately secreted in response to hypovolemia and to elevated serum osmolarity (R14). 

The potent antidiuretic hormone AVP orchestrates the regulation of free water absorption, body fluid osmolality, cell contraction, blood volume, and blood pressure through stimulation of three G-protein-coupled receptor subtypes Vi-vascular types a and b, V2-renal, and V3-pituitary. Increased AVP secretion is the trademark of several pathophysiological disorders, including heart failure, impaired renal function, liver cirrhosis, and SIADH. As a consequence, these patients experience excess water retention or inadequate free-water excretion, which results in the dilution of sodium concentrations, frequently manifesting as clinical hyponatremia (serum sodium concentration <135mmol/L). This electrolyte imbalance increases mortality rates by 60-fold. Selective antagonism of the AVP V2 receptor promotes water... 

Fluid retention may occur, perhaps as a result of peripheral vasodilation and/or improved insulin sensitization with a resultant increase in renal sodium and water retention. A dilutional anemia may result, which does not require treatment. Edema is reported in 4% to 5% of patients when glitazones are used alone or with other oral agents. When used in combination with insulin, the incidence of edema is about 15%. Glitazones are contraindicated in patients with New York Heart Association Class III and IV heart failure and should be used with great caution in patients with Class I or II heart failure or other underlying cardiac disease. 

Lithium intoxication can be precipitated by the use of diuretics, particularly thiazides and metola-zone, and ACE inhibitors. NSAIDs can also precipitate lithium toxicity, mainly due to NSAID inhibition of prostaglandin-dependent renal excretion mechanisms. NSAIDs also impair renal function and cause sodium and water retention, effects which can predispose to interactions. Many case reports describe the antagonistic effects of NSAIDs on diuretics and antihypertensive drugs. The combination of triamterene and indomethacin appears particularly hazardous as it may result in acute renal failure. NSAIDs may also interfere with the beneficial effects of diuretics and ACE inhibitors in heart failure. It is not unusual to see patients whose heart failure has deteriorated in spite of increased doses of frusemide who are also concurrently taking an NSAID. 

Nephrotic syndrome is characterized by proteinuria and edema due to some form of glomerulonephritis. The resulting fall in plasma protein concentration decreases vascular volume, which leads to diminished renal blood flow. This in turn causes secondary aldosteronism characterized by Na and water retention and K+ depletion. Rigid control of dietary Na is essential. Therapy of the nephrotic syndrome using a thiazide (possibly with a K -sparing diuretic) to control the secondary aldosteronism, is a useful initial approach to treatment Since nephrotic edema is frequently more difficult to control than cardiac edema, it may be necessary to switch to a loop diuretic (and spironolactone) to obtain adequate diuresis. 

In contrast to the structurally related thiazide diuretics, diazoxide causes renal salt and water retention. However, because the drug is used for short periods only, this is rarely a problem. 

Diuretics are the mainstay of heart failure management and are discussed in detail in Chapter 15. They have no direct effect on cardiac contractility their major mechanism of action in heart failure is to reduce venous pressure and ventricular preload. This results in reduction of salt and water retention and edema and its symptoms. The reduction of cardiac size, which leads to improved pump efficiency, is of major importance in systolic failure. Spironolactone and eplerenone, the aldosterone antagonist diuretics (see Chapter 15), have the additional benefit of decreasing morbidity and mortality in patients with severe heart failure who are also receiving ACE inhibitors and other standard therapy. One possible mechanism for this benefit lies in accumulating evidence that aldosterone may also cause myocardial and vascular fibrosis and baroreceptor dysfunction in addition to its renal effects. 

A common reason for diuretic use is for reduction of peripheral or pulmonary edema that has accumulated as a result of cardiac, renal, or vascular diseases that reduce blood delivery to the kidney. This reduction is sensed as insufficient effective arterial blood volume and leads to salt and water retention and edema formation. Judicious use of diuretics can mobilize this interstitial edema without significant reductions in plasma volume. However, excessive diuretic therapy may lead to further compromise of the effective arterial blood volume with reduction in perfusion of vital organs. Therefore, the use of diuretics to mobilize edema requires careful monitoring of the patient s hemodynamic status and an understanding of the pathophysiology of the underlying illness. 

Care should be exercised in the administration of these drugs to patients with renal or cardiac disease predisposed to edema. If sodium and water retention occurs, it will respond to diuretic therapy. 

Persistent nephrotic syndrome is a life-threatening disease (mainly due to the risk of thromboembolic and infectious complications) and clearly confers a high risk of progression into end-stage renal failure, which is related to the degree of proteinuria (Jl). The therapeutic goal is therefore the remission of nephrotic syndrome, or at least reduction of proteinuria. In patients with persistent nephrotic syndrome, symptomatic treatment (or prevention) of hyperlipidemia, hypercoagulability, and sodium and water retention is also warranted. 

Hyponatremia is caused by an excess of total body water relative to total body sodium and can result from a number of underlying conditions, including the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH), cirrhosis, and congestive heart failure (CHF). In each of these conditions, inappropriate production of arginine vasopressin (AVP) [also known as vasopressin or antidiuretic hormone (ADH)], a neurohormone that regulates renal electrolyte-free water reabsorption, contributes to enhanced renal water retention, leading to decreased serum sodium concentrations.7 Hyponatremia can be characterized as hypervolemic, euvolemic, or hypovolemic... 

Conivaptan hydrochloride (1) represents the first FDA-approved agent for the treatment of hyponatremia to modulate electrolyte-free water reabsorption in the renal collecting ducts by antagonizing the action of AVP on vasopressin receptors. As such, 1 represents a novel approach toward the treatment of hyponatremia that could significantly affect the pharmacotherapy of a range of diseases characterized by abnormal water retention. 

Therapeutic uses Thiazide diuretics decrease blood pressure in both the supine and standing positions postural hypotension is rarely observed, except in elderly, volume-depleted patients. These agents counteract the sodium and water retention observed with other agents used in the treatment of hypertension (for example, hydralazine). Thiazides are therefore useful in combination therapy with a variety of other antihypertensive agents including (3-blockers and ACE inhibitors. Thiazide diuretics are particularly useful in the treatment of black or elderly patients, and in those with chronic renal disease. Thiazide diuretics are not effective in patients with inadequate kidney function (creatinine clearance less than 50 mls/min). Loop diuretics may be required in these patients. 

ANTI HYPERTENSIVES AND HEART FAILURE DRUGS NS AIDs 1 hypotensive effect, especially with indometacin. The effect is variable amongst different ACE inhibitors and NSAIDs, but is most notable between captopril and indometacin NSAIDs cause sodium and water retention and raise BP by inhibiting vasodilating renal prostaglandins. ACE inhibitors metabolize tissue kinins (e.g. bradykinin) and this may be the basis for indometacin attenuating hypotensive effect of captopril Monitor BP at least weekly until stable. Avoid co administering indometacin with captopril... 

ACE INHIBITORS, ANGIOTENSIN II RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS ASPIRIN t risk of renal impairment. 1 efficacy of captopril and enalapril with high-dose (>100mg/day) aspirin Aspirin and NSAIDs can cause elevation of BP. Prostaglandin inhibition leads to sodium and water retention and poor renal function in those with impaired renal blood flow Monitor renal function every 3-6 months watch for poor response to ACE inhibitors when >100mg/day aspirin is given... 

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