Acute kidney injury (AKI), which used to be called acute renal failure, is sudden kidney failure that happens in a short period- within few hours or few days. Fortunately, it is more commonly reversible than chronic kidney failure. AKI causes a build-up of waste products in your blood and makes it hard for your kidneys to keep the right balance of fluid in your body.
Symptoms:
• Too little urine leaving the body
• Swollen legs, ankles, and around the eyes
• Weakness
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Chest pain or pressure
• Seizures or coma in severe cases.
Causes:
It happens because of a sudden blockage in kidney filtering system or when the blood flow slows down due to some reasons, such as low blood pressure, too much pain killers, too much blood or fluid loss. It usually occurs to people in intensive care or older people.
Treatment:
The treatment for AKI depends on what caused it to happen. Most people need to stay in the hospital during treatment and until their kidneys recover.
While you are being treated for the problem that caused your AKI, you may also have treatments to prevent problems that can make it harder for your kidneys to heal.
Some possible treatments include:
• Temporary hemodialysis to do the work that your kidneys should be doing, until they can recover.
• Medicines to control the amounts of vitamins and minerals in your blood.
• Treatments to keep the right amount of fluid in your blood.
