Kidney failure can occur from an acute situation or chronic problems.
In acute kidney failure, kidney function is lost over a period of hours, days, or in some cases, weeks. The causes of acute kidney failure are categorized based on where the injury is set.
Renal Causes
Renal causes of kidney failure (factors that damage kidney itself) mainly include:
Sepsis: the body's immune system is overwhelmed from infection and causes inflammation and shutdown of the kidneys. This usually doesn't occur with urinary tract infections.
Nephrotoxic medicines: certain medicines are toxic to the kidneys, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic medicines like idomethacin, ibuprofen, aspirin, etc. Other potentially toxic medicines also include antibiotics such as gentamicin, Nafcillin, and anesthetic medicines like diethyl ether.
Pre-renal causes
Pre-renal kidney failure occurs due to decreased blood supply to the kidneys. Pre-renal causes mainly include the follows:
Low blood volume due to blood loss
Dehydration from loss body fluid, examples of which include: vomiting, diarrhea, severe sweating, high fever, etc.
Insufficient fluid intake
Such medicines as diuretics may result in severe water loss
Abnormal blood flow to and from the kidney due to obstructions in renal arteries or veins
Post-renal causes of kidney failure are factors that affect outflow of urine. Common causes mainly include urinary tract stones, bilateral pelvic effusion, prostatic hyperplasia, tumors in the abdomen that surround and obstruct the ureters.
Chronic renal failure (CRF), or chronic kidney disease (CKD), is a slow and progressive decline of kidney function. The most common causes of chronic kidney failure are Diabetes and high blood pressure.
Multiple myeloma
Acute glomerulonephritis or inflammation of glomeruli, the filtering system of the kidneys. Diseases that could cause the inflammation mainly include Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Goodpasture Syndrome, Wengener's granlomatosis, etc.
One of the complications resulting from diabetes or high blood pressure is the damage to the small blood vessels in the body. The blood vessels in the kidneys also become damaged, resulting in CKD.
