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clearance
Removal from the systemic circulation & the body
Pharmacology:
- renal clearance of a drug by the kidneys with or without prior metabolism by the liver
- hepatic metabolism with biliary elimination
- elimination in the bile unchanged
- small molecules may be eliminated through respiration
Also see pharmacokinetics. Clinical significiance:
- drugs are eliminated either unchanged or as metabolites
- more polar compounds are eliminated more efficiently by excretory organs* than lipopilic compounds
- lipophilic compounds are metabolized to more polar compounds (see drug metabolism)
- lung is important for clearance of volatile drugs (i.e. inhalation anesthetics)
- polar compounds (unchanged drug & or metabolites) are excreted in the urine or bile
* kidney, liver (via bile), breast (lactating), excluding lung sweat, saliva & tears generally unimportant route of clearance
Related
drug metabolism
pharmacokinetics
procedural clearance
Specific
glymphatic clearance; glymphatic flow (glymphatic system)
renal clearance
General
EVENT
References
- The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th ed.
Gilman et al, eds. Permagon Press/McGraw Hill, 1996 pg 3-27
- Wikipedia: Clearance (medicine)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearance_(medicine)