Kidneys regulate electrolyte balance, blood pressure, and produce urine. Kidney failure can be acute or chronic, caused by disease or injury. Symptoms include fluid retention, cognitive impairment, and changes in urine output. Chronic kidney failure is treated with dialysis or kidney transplant.
The kidneys are a pair of organs that help regulate electrolyte balance, blood pressure, and acid-base balance, as well as produce urine. Kidney failure, also known as kidney failure, occurs when the kidneys stop working normally, usually due to disease or injury. The most common symptoms include fluid retention, impaired cognitive function, changes in urine output and back pain.
There are two main categories of kidney failure: acute and chronic. Acute kidney failure is often the result of an event that cuts off blood flow to the kidneys. This can be caused by an accident or injury, or it can be the result of surgical complications that reduce blood flow to organs. Alternatively, acute kidney failure may be the result of toxicity from a drug overdose that overwhelms the organs’ ability to function normally.
Symptoms of acute kidney failure are often not recognized as indicative of a serious health condition, and many patients are only diagnosed when visiting a doctor about an unrelated health problem. Symptoms may include swelling of the legs and feet, decreased urine output, increased thirst, fast pulse, dizziness and nausea, vomiting or decreased appetite, and feelings of confusion, restlessness, or fatigue. Back pain may also be present, typically in the region below the rib cage and above the waist.
In contrast, CKD is usually caused by chronic kidney disease that gradually reduces kidney function over several years. The two most common causes of chronic renal failure are diabetes mellitus and long-term uncontrolled hypertension. Genetic conditions such as polycystic kidney can also cause chronic kidney disease.
A person with chronic kidney failure experiences symptoms when kidney function drops below a certain level. This level is defined by the glomerular filtration rate, which is an expression of how well the kidneys filter fluid. Symptoms usually appear around the point where the glomerular filtration rate drops to 30% of its normal level and can include personality changes, cognitive impairment, nausea or vomiting, anemia, and bruising and fluid retention. The fluid can be retained in the lungs or heart, causing difficulty breathing and chest pain. Very rarely, cognitive impairment can lead to seizures.
Chronic kidney failure is treated with dialysis, a process in which blood is filtered to remove waste products. People with acute kidney failure may also receive dialysis on a temporary basis until their kidneys return to normal function. For those with chronic kidney failure, however, dialysis is required on a lifelong basis unless a donor kidney can be successfully transplanted.
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