This review will trace the general mechanisms of renal cell injury before focusing on selected specific nephrotoxins that demonstrate the key principles of injury. Potentially, all of the cellular events involved in injury leave molecular footprints, which can be used…
This chapter discusses recent advances in the understanding of genetic kidney diseases that primarily involve the glomerulus. The chapter is organized according to the site or mechanism of the primary abnormality: abnormalities of extracellular matrix, storage diseases affecting the glomerulus,…
The kidneys are among the organs most commonly affected by systemic vasculitis. This chapter reviews the etiology and pathogenesis of forms of vasculitis that most often affect the kidneys. The emphasis is on vasculitis that targets predominantly small vessels because…
This chapter is mainly devoted to immune-mediated kidney disorders, and is primarily focused on glomerular diseases. Lupus nephritis and ANCA-associated vasculitis are addressed in separate chapters. The reader is reminded that the renal involvement may be the initial manifestation of…
The urinary system, volume homeostasis, osmoregulation, and composition of body fluids are all altered in normal pregnancy. There are also hemodynamic changes involving cardiac output and blood pressure. Knowledge of these changes permits earlier detection of dysfunction as well as…
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) (MIM 173900) is a systemic disorder characterized by age-dependent occurrence of bilateral, multiple renal cysts as well as a variety of extrarenal manifestations. The latter include cysts in the liver bile ducts, pancreatic ducts,…
Renal failure is a common complication of patients with advanced cirrhosis. The most common causes of renal failure in cirrhosis are those related to bacterial infections (with or without septic shock) and hepatorenal syndrome. Other causes include renal failure due…
Diabetic nephropathy is the major cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the industrialized world. Although the incidence of nephropathy due to type 1 diabetes may not be increasing, type 2 diabetes mellitus, considered 30 years ago a rather benign…
The intrinsic ability of the kidney to regulate renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) over a wide range of perfusion pressures has fascinated physiologists for decades. These adaptive responses to physiologic and pathologic alterations in renal perfusion, known…
This chapter focuses on the pathophysiological principles of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), with special emphasis on the structural, cellular and molecular alterations occurring in ischemic, nephrotoxic and septic AKI. Changing concepts in the disease pathogenesis and approaches to treatment based…