The potassium-sparing diuretics consist of the following 4 medications–only some of which (spironolactone & eplerenone in the list below) are structurally similar. Spironolactone is an antagonist of the aldosterone receptor, which like other steroid receptors is an…
Having grown up in Minnesota and being a rabid sports fan, I have an obligation to closely follow the Minnesota Vikings, no matter how much trouble with the law the team has encountered in recent years. Here’s a…
Pendred Syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the solute carrier family 26 member 4 gene (SLC26A4) which has some relevance to nephrology and acid-base metabolism. Its main phenotypic manifestations are thyroid goiter and sensorineural…
In recent years, there has been the suggestion that thiazide diuretics–long considered a front-line therapy for hypertension based on the ALLHAT study and others–may increase the risk of diabetes. Subsequent retrospective analysis of other major historical cohorts by…
Natriuresis is the process by which sodium is excreted in the urine; this process is regulated (in part at least) by the natriuretic peptides ANP and BNP (there is also a CNP, which appears to have direct effects…
The ENAC channel in the distal tubule is responsible for sodium reabsorption. It is comprised of 2 alpha, 1 beta, and 1 gamma subunit with each encoded by a separate gene. Interestingly, mutations in ENAC can lead to…
Diuretics act at the apical surface of specific segments of the renal tubular epithelium. Question: how do diuretics get to the apical surface? One could imagine several such scenarios, such as diuretics getting filtered at the glomerulus and…
