Causes of kidney failure

Sometimes kidneys are no longer able to filter and clean blood. This can cause unsafe levels of waste products to build up. This is known as kidney (or renal) failure. Unless it is treated, this can cause death. What are Kidneys? The kidneys are 2 bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are found in your back on either side of the spine. Healthy kidneys clean waste products from the blood by making urine. They also balance the amount of certain elements in your blood (such as sodium, potassium, and calcium), and make hormones that control blood pressure and red blood cells. What is Kidney Failure? Before kidney failure occurs, patients have "chronic kidney disease" (CKD). Kidney (renal) failure is when kidneys don't work as well as they should, to the point where kidney replacement is required.Kidney replacement can be accomplished by different kinds of dialysis or by kidney transplant. The term "kidney failure" covers a lot of problems. These problems can result in kidney failure: • Your kidney doesn't get enough blood to filter • Your kidney is hurt by a disease like • high blood sugar (diabetes) • high blood pressure • glomerulonephritis (damage to the kidney's tiny filters; one example: lupus) • polycystic kidney disease • and many others • Your kidney is blocked by a kidney stone or scar tissue(blockage of ONE kidney usually does not cause kidney failure because the other kidney is not affected; but blockage of two kidneys can lead to an emergency). Th...

Overview IgA nephropathy (nuh-FROP-uh-thee), also known as Berger disease, is a kidney disease. It happens when a germ-fighting protein called immunoglobulin A (IgA) builds up in the kidneys. This causes a type of swelling called inflammation that, over time, can make it harder for the kidneys to filter waste from the blood. IgA nephropathy often becomes worse slowly over years. But the course of the disease varies from person to person. Some people leak blood into their urine without having other problems. Others might have complications such as losing kidney function and spilling protein into the urine. Still others develop kidney failure, which means the kidneys stop working well enough to filter the body's waste on their own. There's no cure for IgA nephropathy, but medicines can slow how quickly it becomes worse. Some people need treatment to lower inflammation, reduce the spilling of protein into the urine and prevent the kidneys from failing. Such treatments may help the disease become not active, a state called remission. Keeping blood pressure under control and lowering cholesterol also slow the disease. Symptoms IgA nephropathy often doesn't cause symptoms early on. You might not notice any health effects for 10 years or more. Sometimes, routine medical tests find signs of the disease, such as protein and red blood cells in the urine that are seen under a microscope. When IgA nephropathy causes symptoms, they might include: • Cola- or tea-colored urine caused by ...

What Is Acute Kidney Failure? Acute kidney failure is when your kidneys stop working suddenly. Doctors sometimes call it acute renal failure. It can happen over just a few hours or days. Acute kidney failure isn’t always permanent. If you get treatment right away -- and if you don’t have other serious health problems -- your kidneys can go back to working normally. The main job of your kidneys is to filter waste out of your Kidneys don’t work well when they’re damaged. This could happen because of another health condition, like Acute Kidney Failure Symptoms You may not have any symptoms of acute kidney failure. Your doctor may discover you have this condition while doing lab tests for another reason. If you do have symptoms, they’ll depend on how bad your loss of kidney function is, how quickly you lose kidney function, and the reasons for your kidney failure. Symptoms may include: • Peeing less than normal • Swelling in your legs, • Feeling drowsy or very tired • Shortness of breath • • Joint pain, swelling • Loss of appetite • Confusion • Throwing up or feeling like you’re going to • • Muscle • • • Fever • • Acute Kidney Failure Causes There are three main reasons your kidneys fail all of a sudden: • Something is changing the way blood flows through to your kidneys. It could be because of: • An infection • • • • • Serious burns or • Blood or fluid loss • You have a condition that’s blocking urine from leaving your kidneys. This could mean: • • • An • • • Something has di...

Acute kidney injury is characterized by abrupt deterioration in kidney function, manifested by an increase in serum creatinine level with or without reduced urine output. The spectrum of injury ranges from mild to advanced, sometimes requiring renal replacement therapy. The diagnostic evaluation can be used to classify acute kidney injury as prerenal, intrinsic renal, or postrenal. The initial workup includes a patient history to identify the use of nephrotoxic medications or systemic illnesses that might cause poor renal perfusion or directly impair renal function. Physical examination should assess intravascular volume status and identify skin rashes indicative of systemic illness. The initial laboratory evaluation should include measurement of serum creatinine level, complete blood count, urinalysis, and fractional excretion of sodium. Ultrasonography of the kidneys should be performed in most patients, particularly in older men, to rule out obstruction. Management of acute kidney injury involves fluid resuscitation, avoidance of nephrotoxic medications and contrast media exposure, and correction of electrolyte imbalances. Renal replacement therapy (dialysis) is indicated for refractory hyperkalemia; volume overload; intractable acidosis; uremic encephalopathy, pericarditis, or pleuritis; and removal of certain toxins. Recognition of risk factors (e.g., older age, sepsis, hypovolemia/shock, cardiac surgery, infusion of contrast agents, diabetes mellitus, preexisting chr...

What is acute kidney failure? Acute kidney failure happens when your Acute kidney failure is also called acute kidney injury or acute renal failure. It’s common in people who are already in the hospital. It may develop rapidly over a few hours. It can also develop over a few days to weeks. People who are critically ill and need intensive care have the highest risk of developing acute kidney failure. Acute kidney failure can be life-threatening and requires intensive treatment. However, it may be reversible. If you’re in good health otherwise, recovery is possible. Acute kidney failure can occur for many reasons. Among the most common reasons are: • • severe or sudden • toxic kidney injury from poisons or certain medications • autoimmune kidney diseases, such as • Reduced blood flow can damage your kidneys. The following conditions can lead to decreased blood flow to your kidneys: • • • dehydration • • injury • • serious illness • surgery Certain disorders can cause clotting within your kidney’s blood vessels, and this can lead to acute kidney failure. These conditions include: • • • • • Some infections, such as Pregnancy can also cause complications that harm the kidneys, including The chances of acquiring acute kidney failure are greater if you’re an older person or if you have any of the following long-term health problems: • kidney disease • liver disease • • • • If you’re ill or being treated in a hospital’s intensive care unit, you’re at an extremely high risk for acu...

The kidneys are a pair of organs located in the region of your lower back. One kidney is on each side of your spine. Kidney failure occurs when your kidneys lose their ability to sufficiently filter waste from your blood. Your kidneys filter your blood and remove toxins from your body. These toxins go to your bladder and are eliminated when you urinate. When this doesn’t work properly, you can get kidney failure. Many factors can interfere with your kidney health and function, such as: • certain acute and chronic diseases • toxic exposure to environmental pollutants or certain medications • severe • insufficient blood flow to the kidneys • kidney trauma If your kidneys aren’t able to function properly, your body becomes overloaded with toxins. This can lead to kidney failure, which can be life threatening if left untreated. Keep reading as we break down everything you need to know about kidney failure, including symptoms, stages, treatment, and the typical outlook. Five different types of kidney failure exist. The five types of kidney failure include: • Acute prerenal kidney failure. Insufficient blood flow to the kidneys can cause acute prerenal kidney failure. The kidneys can’t filter toxins from the blood without enough blood flow. This type of kidney failure can usually be cured once the cause of the decreased blood flow is determined. • Acute intrinsic kidney failure. Acute intrinsic kidney failure can result from direct trauma to the kidneys, such as physical impact ...

• You're more tired, have less energy or are having trouble concentrating. A severe decrease in kidney function can lead to a buildup of toxins and impurities in the blood. This can cause people to feel tired, weak and can make it hard to concentrate. Another complication of kidney disease is • You're having trouble sleeping. When the kidneys aren't filtering properly, toxins stay in the blood rather than leaving the body through the urine. This can make it difficult to sleep. There is also a link between obesity and chronic kidney disease, and sleep apnea is more common in those with chronic kidney disease, compared with the general population. • You have dry and itchy skin. Healthy kidneys do many important jobs. They remove wastes and extra fluid from your body, help make red blood cells, help keep bones strong and work to maintain the right amount of minerals in your blood. • You feel the need to urinate more often. If you feel the need to urinate more often, especially at night, this can be a sign of kidney disease. When the kidneys filters are damaged, it can cause an increase in the urge to urinate. Sometimes this can also be a sign of a urinary infection or enlarged prostate in men. • You see blood in your urine. Healthy kidneys typically keep the blood cells in the body when filtering wastes from the blood to create urine, but when the kidney's filters have been damaged, these blood cells can start to "leak" out into the urine. In addition to signaling kidney dise...

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