kidney failure

Examples of kidney failure in the following topics:

• Dialysis

  • In some cases of acute kidney failure, dialysis may only be needed for a short time until the kidneys get better.
  • In chronic or end stage kidney failure, your kidneys do not get better and you will need dialysis for the rest of your life.
  • It is used primarily to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure.
  • Dialysis may be used for those with an acute disturbance in kidney function (acute kidney injury, previously acute renal failure), or progressive but chronically worsening kidney function–a state known as chronic kidney disease stage 5 (previously chronic renal failure or end-stage kidney disease).
  • Over the following two years, Kolff used his machine to treat 16 patients suffering from acute kidney failure, but the results were unsuccessful.

• Renal Disease and Failure

  • Before dialysis or kidney transplants were widely available treatments, patients with kidney failure had progressive uremic poisoning.
  • Renal failure (also kidney failure or renal insufficiency) is a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter waste products from the blood.
  • Renal failure can be divided into two categories: acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease .The type of renal failure is determined by the trend in the serum creatinine.
  • Acute kidney injuries can be present on top of chronic kidney disease, a condition called acute-on-chronic renal failure (AoCRF).
  • Kidney transplantation requires a person to be at the end stage of renal failure.

• Aging and the Urinary System

  • As kidneys age, the number of filtering units and nephrons decreases, slowing down kidney function.
  • As the kidneys age, a number of events occur.
  • The overall amount of kidney tissue also decreases.
  • The blood vessels supplying the kidney can become hardened, making the kidneys filter blood more slowly .
  • Aging also increases the risk for urinary disorders such as acute and chronic kidney failure, urinary incontinence, leakage, or retention, bladder, and other urinary tract infections.

• Long-Term Renal Regulation

  • When blood volume is low, juxtaglomerular cells in the kidneys secrete renin directly into circulation.
  • Aldosterone causes the tubules of the kidneys to increase the reabsorption of sodium and water into the blood.
  • These drugs are one of the main ways to control high blood pressure (hypertension), heart failure, kidney failure, and harmful effects of diabetes.

• Glomerular Diseases

  • The nephron is a tubular structure in the kidney that filters blood to form urine.
  • Glomerulonephritis (GN) is a renal disease (usually of both kidneys) characterized by inflammation of the glomeruli, or small blood vessels in the kidneys.
  • It may present with isolated hematuria and/or proteinuria (blood or protein in the urine), or as a nephrotic syndrome, a nephritic syndrome, acute renal failure, or chronic renal failure.
  • Primary causes are intrinsic to the kidney.
  • Goodpasture's syndrome (also known as Goodpasture's disease and anti-glomerular basement antibody disease ) is a rare autoimmune disease in which antibodies attack the lungs and kidneys, leading to bleeding from the lungs, and to kidney failure.

• Basement Membranes and Diseases

  • The most notable examples of basement membranes are in the glomerular filtration of the kidney, by the fusion of the basal lamina from the endothelium of glomerular capillaries and the basal lamina of the epithelium of the Bowman's capsule; and between lung alveoli and pulmonary capillaries, by the fusion of the basal lamina of the lung alveoli and of the basal lamina of the lung capillaries, which is where oxygen and CO2 diffusion happens.
  • Genetic defects in the collagen fibers of the basement membrane cause Alport syndrome or hereditary nephritis, a genetic disorder characterized by glomerulonephritis, endstage kidney disease, and hearing loss.
  • Goodpasture disease is the result of an autoimmune response directed at Collagen type IV alpha-3-binding protein, resulting in damage to the lungs and kidneys, bleeding and kidney failure.

• Edema Caused by Loss of Plasma Proteins

  • Kidney disease is one of the most serious complications of diabetes.
  • Eventually, the kidneys may fail completely so that a person with the disease needs hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, or a kidney transplant to survive.
  • The kidneys normally do not filter large molecules into the urine, so albuminuria can be an indicator of damage to the kidneys or excessive salt intake.
  • It is usually good in children, because minimal change disease responds very well to steroids and does not cause chronic renal failure.
  • It can be caused by systemic diseases, pregnancy in some women, and as a result of heart failure or varicose veins.

• Congestive Heart Failure

  • Heart failure is a common, costly, disabling, and potentially deadly condition.
  • Heart failure can result from any one, or combinations of, cardiomyopathies or problems within the heart muscle, and these problems can result in heart failure.
  • Reduced perfusion (blood flow) to the kidneys stimulates the release of renin – an enzyme that catalyzes the production of the potent vasopressor angiotensin .
  • This promotes salt and fluid retention at the kidneys, also increasing the blood volume.
  • Reduced perfusion (blood flow) to the kidneys stimulates the release of renin, an enzyme that catalyzes the production of the potent vasopressor angiotensin.

• Fluids and Aging

  • Nephropathy means damage to or disease of a kidney.
  • Heart failure (HF), often called congestive heart failure (CHF) or congestive cardiac failure (CCF), is an inability of the heart to provide sufficient pump action to distribute blood flow to meet the needs of the body.
  • Heart failure is a common, costly, disabling, and potentially deadly condition.
  • In developed countries, around 2% of adults suffer from heart failure, but in those over the age of 65, this increases to 6–10%.

• Supply of Blood and Nerves to the Kidneys

  • The renal veins drain the kidney and the renal arteries supply blood to the kidney.
  • The arteries, veins, and nerves that supply the kidney enter and exit at the renal hilum.
  • The renal arteries branch off of the abdominal aorta and supply the kidneys with blood.
  • The arterial supply of the kidneys is variable from person to person, and there may be one or more renal arteries supplying each kidney.
  • The renal arteries carry a large portion of the total blood flow to the kidneys, up to a third of the total cardiac output can pass through the renal arteries to be filtered by the kidneys.