Renal failure means

Glomerular diseases affect the filtering units of your kidney, the glomeruli. Symptoms include foamy urine, pink urine, high blood pressure and swelling in your face, hands, ankles or feet. Many diseases can cause glomerular disease. The leading cause is diabetes-related nephropathy. Treatments depend on the cause. The goal is to prevent or slow kidney damage. Overview Glomeruli filter liquids into the waste products and extra water, passing liquids into the tubule -- which becomes urine. What is glomerular disease? Glomerular disease is the result of conditions that affect a specific part of your kidney called glomeruli. Glomeruli are the tiny network of blood vessels that are the “cleaning units” of your kidney. They filter waste and remove extra fluids from your blood. When glomeruli are damaged and can’t function as they should, it’s called glomerular disease. Many diseases and conditions can damage the glomeruli. Two broad terms used to describe many forms of damage to the glomeruli are: • Glomerulonephritis, inflammation (swelling) of the glomeruli. • Glomerulosclerosis, scarring/hardening of the glomeruli. Glomerular disease can damage your kidneys and, in some cases, lead to kidney failure. How do glomeruli work in your kidney? Your kidneys – two bean-shaped organs to the left and right of your spine just below the rib cage — are the main filters for your body. Blood enters your kidneys through arteries. Once inside your kidneys, the arteries branch and blood passe...

Acute kidney injury (AKI), also known as acute renal failure (ARF), is a sudden episode of kidney failure or kidney damage that happens within a few hours or a few days. AKI causes a build-up of waste products in your blood and makes it hard for your kidneys to keep the right balance of fluid in your body. AKI can also affect other organs such as the brain, heart, and lungs. Acute kidney injury is common in patients who are in the hospital, in intensive care units, and especially in older adults. Signs and symptoms of acute kidney injury differ depending on the cause and may include: • Too little urine leaving the body • Swelling in legs, ankles, and around the eyes • Fatigue or tiredness • Shortness of breath • Confusion • Nausea • Seizures or coma in severe cases • Chest pain or pressure In some cases, AKI causes no symptoms and is only found through other tests done by your healthcare provider. Acute kidney injury can have many different causes. AKI can be caused by the following: Decreased blood flow Some diseases and conditions can slow blood flow to your kidneys and cause AKI. These diseases and conditions include: • Low blood pressure (called “hypotension”) or shock • Blood or fluid loss (such as bleeding, severe diarrhea) • Heart attack, heart failure, and other conditions leading to decreased heart function • Organ failure (e.g., heart, liver) • Overuse of pain medicines called “ • Severe allergic reactions • Burns • Injury • Major surgery Direct Damage to the Kid...

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 ...

Kidney cross section The kidneys remove waste and excess fluid from the blood through structures called nephrons. Each nephron contains a filter called a glomerulus that has a network of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. When blood flows into a glomerulus, tiny molecules — water, essential minerals and nutrients, and wastes — pass through the capillary walls. Large molecules, such as proteins and red blood cells, do not. The filtered solution then passes into another part of the nephron called the tubule. The water, nutrients and minerals that the body needs are transferred back to the bloodstream. The excess water and waste become urine that flows to the bladder. Acute kidney failure occurs when your kidneys suddenly become unable to filter waste products from your blood. When your kidneys lose their filtering ability, dangerous levels of wastes may accumulate, and your blood's chemical makeup may get out of balance. Acute kidney failure — also called acute renal failure or acute kidney injury — develops rapidly, usually in less than a few days. Acute kidney failure is most common in people who are already hospitalized, particularly in critically ill people who need intensive care. Symptoms Signs and symptoms of acute kidney failure may include: • Decreased urine output, although occasionally urine output remains normal • Fluid retention, causing swelling in your legs, ankles or feet • Shortness of breath • Fatigue • Confusion • Nausea • Weakness • Irregular heartbea...

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...

The Facts Chronic renal failure, or chronic kidney disease (CKD), is a slow and progressive decline of kidney function.It's usually a result of a complication from another serious medical condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. Unlike acute renal failure, which happens quickly and suddenly, chronic renal failure happens gradually – over a period of weeks, months, or years – as the kidneys slowly stop working, leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The progression is so slow that symptoms usually don't appear until major damage is done. Approximately 7 in every 100 Canadians have chronic kidney disease. The kidneys play 3 major roles: • removing waste products from the body, keeping toxins from building up in the bloodstream • producing hormones that control other body functions, such as regulating blood pressure and producing red blood cells • regulating the levels of minerals or electrolytes (e.g., sodium, calcium, and potassium) and fluid in the body Most people have 2 functioning kidneys. It's entirely possible to live a full, healthy life with only 1 kidney– 1 fully functioning kidney usually can do the work of 2– but it's essential to watch for signs of any problems with the remaining kidney. When kidneys get to the point where they can't function at all, kidney dialysis or a transplant is the only way to remove the body's waste products. Causes The most common causes of chronic renal failure in North America are diabetes mellitu...