Dr Arun Kumar Donakonda
Consultant Nephrologist & Renal Transplant PhysicianPublished on: 26 Sep 2021
Article Context:
- What Is Acute Kidney Failure?
- Causes of Acute Kidney Failure
- Risk Factors for Acute Kidney Failure:
- Symptoms of Acute Kidney Failure:-
- Diagnosis
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Acute Kidney Failure?
Causes of Acute Kidney Failure:
- Acute tubular necrosis (ATN)
- Severe or sudden dehydration
- Toxic kidney injury from poisons or certain medications
- Autoimmune kidney diseases
- Urinary tract obstruction
- Low blood pressure
- Burns
- Dehydration
- Hemorrhage
- Injury
- Septic shock
- Serious illness
- Surgery

Risk Factors for Acute Kidney Failure:
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Diabetes, especially if it’s not well controlled
- High blood pressure
- Heart failure
- Morbid obesity
Symptoms of Acute Kidney Failure:
- Bloody stools
- Breath odor
- Slow, sluggish movements
- Generalized swelling or fluid retention
- Fatigue
- Pain between ribs and hips
- Hand tremor
- Bruising easily
- Changes in mental status or mood, especially if you’re older
- Decreased appetite
- Decreased sensation
- Prolonged bleeding
- Seizures
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- High blood pressure
- A metallic taste in your mouth
Diagnosis
- Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)
- Serum Potassium
- Serum Sodium
- Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (Egfr)
- Urinalysis
- Creatinine Clearance
- Serum Creatinine
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Citations:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441896//a>
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5198510/
- https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000501.htm
Frequently Asked Questions:
- A sudden and significant decrease in blood flow to the kidneys.
- Blood flow to the kidneys can be reduced by excessive blood loss, an injury, or a severe infection known as sepsis.
- Some medicines, poisons, or infections can cause harm.
- A sudden blockage that prevents urine from draining from the kidneys.
The median time to recovery for patients with AKI-related kidney failure was 2 months (interquartile range, 1.2–3.5), with 95 percent recovering within 12 months.
Tiredness, a lack of energy or difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping, dry and itchy skin, a desire to urinate more frequently, blood in your urine, foamy urine, and persistent puffiness around your eyes are all symptoms of kidney disease.