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Swollen Kidneys Essay

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The Case of the Man with the Swollen Kidneys

Mr. Newman is a 49 year old male who has hematuria, fever and severe flank pain. He also has bilateral lumbar tenderness, bilateral renal enlargement, liver enlargement, ankle and facial edema, skin pallor, and lung sounds suggest pulmonary edema. His vital signs are as follows: BP 172/100, heart rate 92 beats per minute, and a temperature of 102.2 F. There have been some labs done. His red blood count is 3.1 million cells, white blood count is 22,000 cells, potassium is 5.4 mEq/L, calcium is 6.8 mg/dL, phosphate is 4.3 mEq/L, urea is 37 mg/dL, creatinine 2.0 mg/dL, albumin is 2.9 mg/dL, and pH is 7.29. With labs like these, more testing was done. A chemistry panel which showed protein 1.7 …show more content…

Very little normal renal tissue exists. No obvious regions of renal cortex or renal medulla can be identified. The hilus and entire collecting system are severely disrupted. His is kidney is non-function and needs to be removed. Cysts exert pressure causing destruction of nearby tissue. Loss of nephrons results in the inability to maintain normal solute balance, excrete wastes such as urea and creatinine, secretes erythropoietin causing severe anemia. The pressure on blood vessels interferes with renal blood flow causing hypertension. Mr. Newman’s disease has resulted in a number of organ system defects. He has a reduced glomerular filtration, which causes accumulation of water that result in pulmonary edema. He has anemia and reduced platelet function that causes subcutaneous bruising. Also due to anemia, he has an elevated blood urea level that can lead to bleeding disorders. Due to his increased blood urea levels, he may have trouble getting an erection. Cysts destroy normal renal tissue in the kidneys. The cysts could cause hepatic enlargement, abdominal pain, and reduced hepatic function. Increased urea levels may cause pericarditis. Effects of increased urea levels in blood may cause encephalopathy resulting in coma or death. Berry aneurysms may rupture resulting in hemorrhage or even death. The answers to the question are as follows. Polycystic kidney disease is what best explains Mr. Newman’s clinical signs and

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