Acute renal failure is defined as an impairment of kidney function with an increase in blood creatinine concentration - accompanied by a decrease in urine output.
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We can distinguish between two types of kidney failure:
- Acute renal failure - renal impairment appears suddenly and symptoms increase quite rapidly. It is caused by inadequate blood supply to the kidney, diseases of the glomeruli and kidney parenchyma, and impaired urine outflow. It is a reversible state of failure.
- Chronic renal failure - develops over an extended period of time and is caused by diseases of the kidneys and the body as a whole. It is a condition of irreversible damage to the glomerulus.
The most common symptoms include:
- weakness, feeling tired and impaired concentration,
- shortness of breath,
- itching of the skin,
- reduction in urine output below 300ml per day,
- purpura,
- oedema in case of concomitant hypoxia.
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Often patients develop circulatory complications. These include:
- hypertension and heart failure due to urinary retention
- cardiac arrhythmias due to unbalanced electrolyte disturbances,
- development of uremic pericarditis due to accumulation of harmful metabolic products.
In acute renal failure, conservative pharmacological treatment is applied, hypertension is controlled, comorbidities are treated and anaemia is treated with erythropoietin. It should be remembered that diet and, more specifically, protein restriction also play an important role.
