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3.9 Minute

12-Aug-2024 Team Medicover Urology

What is Kidney Failure?

Kidney Failure (renal failure) is when one or both of your kidneys no longer work. Sometimes, it happens fast (acute), and other times, it's a problem that gets worse slowly over time (chronic).

It's the most serious stage of chronic kidney disease and can be dangerous if not treated. Without treatment, someone with Kidney Failure might only live for a few days or weeks.

What are the reasons for Kidney Failure?

Diabetes: High sugar levels damage the kidneys over time.
High Blood Pressure: High pressure can harm blood vessels in the kidneys.
Glomerulonephritis: Inflammation damages the kidneys' filtering units.
Polycystic Kidney Disease: Fluid-filled cysts can damage kidney tissue.
Family History: If close relatives had kidney problems, you might be at risk, too.

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How many stages are there in Kidney Failure?

There are 5 stages of Kidney Failure:

Stage 1: with normal or high estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) ( i.e., GFR > 90 ML/min)
Stage 2: Mild Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) (GFR = 60-89 ML/min)
Stage 3A: This means they are Moderately damaged; that is, the Glomerular Filtration Rate is 45-59 ML/min
Stage 3B: Moderate Chronic Kidney Disease (GFR = 30-44 ML/min)
Stage 4: Severe CKD (GFR = 15-29 ML/min)
Stage 5: End Stage CKD (GFR 15 ML/min)

Types of Kidney Failure

Kidney Failure is mainly divided into two types. They are :

Acute Kidney Failure
Chronic Kidney Failure

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)

Acute Kidney Injury, also called Renal Failure, means sudden or unexpected failure of kidney function that grows within 7 days.
AKI occurs when reduced kidney blood flow threatens kidney tissue. Different causes can cause AKI, such as prerenal, intrinsic, and postrenal. For this kind of AKI, individuals need hemodialysis.
The reason must be recognized and treated to stop the progression. Above all, dialysis might be important to connect the time gap required for treating these key causes.
Individuals who have encountered AKI may have a high danger of severe kidney infection later on. The executives comprise treatment of the fundamental reason and steady consideration, such as renal substitution treatment.

Causes of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)

Acute Kidney Failure occurs suddenly when there's a sudden disruption in blood supply to the kidneys or when the kidneys get overwhelmed with toxins.
Reasons for this sudden kidney problem include accidents, injuries, or complications from surgeries.
During this, the kidneys don't get normal blood flow for a long time, like during bypass surgery.

Drug Overdoses

Accidental overdoses of certain medications, like painkillers, antibiotics, or chemotherapy drugs, can also lead to acute kidney damage.

Recovery

Fortunately, the kidneys can often recover from acute kidney damage, allowing a person to return to normal life.
However, individuals with AKI need ongoing treatment until their kidneys recover fully and are often at risk of future kidney problems.

Chronic Kidney Failure (CKF)

Chronic Kidney Failure (CKF) is when your kidneys don't work right for a long time, causing a gradual loss of kidney function.
At first, you might not feel any symptoms. But later on, you might notice things like swelling in your legs, feeling tired a lot, throwing up, not feeling hungry, or feeling confused.
If CKF gets worse, it can lead to other health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, weak bones, or anemia.

Causes of Chronic Kidney Failure:

Reasons for Chronic Kidney Failure include having diabetes, high blood pressure, glomerulonephritis, or polycystic kidney disease.
Risk factors for CKF include having family members with the same problem.

What are the symptoms of Kidney Failure?

The following are some of the symptoms of Kidney Failure:

Nausea
Vomiting
Loss of appetite
Fatigue and weakness
Sleep problems
Changes in how much you urinate
Decreased mental sharpness
Muscle twitches and cramps
Swelling of feet and ankles
Persistent itching
Chest pain, if fluid builds up around the lining of the heart
Shortness of breath, if fluid builds up in the lungs
High blood pressure (hypertension) that is difficult to control

What causes Kidney Failure?

There are several causes of Kidney Failure. Here is the list of some other causes listed below:

A blood clot in or around your kidneys
Kidney Infection
Diabetes
High Blood Pressure
Several Cysts in the Kidneys
Systemic lupus Eratosthenes
Hardening of the arteries
Excessive use of medications

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Treatment options for Kidney Failure

If you are suffering from the last stage of kidney disease, you must choose between Dialysis and a Kidney Transplant. There are several types of Dialysis, and for more information, you should consult your doctor for the best treatment.

Hemodialysis

This is one type of treatment procedure, also called "Hemo" In this process, a machine cleans blood. It can be done at the Dialysis center or even at home.

Peritoneal Dialysis

Peritoneal Dialysis is performed when the kidneys are not functioning properly. In this process, a purifying liquid moves through a pipe into part of the abdomen.

From there, it filters unwanted items from your blood. After a specific time, the liquid with unwanted waste items moves out of the abdomen and is disposed of.

Kidney Transplant

A kidney Transplant means replacing your unhealthy kidney with a healthy Kidney. For this, a healthy kidney must be available from any Living Donor or the deceased donor.

After replacing the failed kidney with a healthy kidney, then a new kidney starts its function just as your old healthy kidney does.

Frequently Asked Questions

The two main types of kidney failure are Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). AKI is a sudden loss of kidney function that is usually reversible, while CKD is a gradual loss of kidney function over time and is typically irreversible.

Common symptoms of kidney failure include fatigue, swelling in the legs, ankles, or face (edema), changes in urination (such as reduced output or dark urine), nausea, shortness of breath, itchy skin, and persistent pain in the lower back or sides.

AKI can be caused by severe infections, dehydration, significant blood loss, exposure to toxins, or certain medications that affect kidney function. It often develops rapidly and requires immediate medical attention.

The leading causes of CKD include long-term conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and glomerulonephritis. Other factors can include polycystic kidney disease, prolonged use of certain medications, and recurring kidney infections.

Kidney failure is diagnosed through blood tests (to measure creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels), urine tests (to check for protein or blood), imaging studies (such as ultrasound or CT scans), and sometimes a kidney biopsy to determine the underlying cause.

Treatments for kidney failure include lifestyle changes, medications to manage symptoms and underlying conditions, dialysis (hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis) for filtering waste from the blood, and kidney transplantation in severe cases where other treatments are not effective.

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