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What is renal failure?
As the name implies, renal failure is a functional problem of the kidneys. The organs no longer perform their work correctly, and waste products, toxins, and fluids are retained instead of eliminated. Renal failure can be acute or chronic, depending on the progression of the disease. Acute renal failure refers to temporary reductions of renal function. Chronic renal failure usually refers to structural or functional problems of the kidneys that lead to long-lasting disease.
In acute renal failure, the problem is usually reversible. For example, we can have impairments in renal function when the patient loses a massive volume of blood. In such cases, the volume that reaches the kidneys is lower, and these organs do not have enough pressure in the glomerulus to perform their functions. Another cause of acute renal failure is nephrotoxic drugs, which reduce renal function. However, the kidneys continue working normally when the drug is eliminated from the system.
Chronic renal failure is more complex, and the diagnosis is made when the problem persists for more than three months. There is usually a progressive loss of renal function, and most of these patients would ultimately require kidney transplantation or dialysis.
Chronic kidney disease has six categories depending on the severity of the disease. It is more common in patients with underlying conditions like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and baseline kidney conditions such as primary glomerulonephritis. There is something called prerenal disease, which also causes chronic kidney disease. Thus, patients with cirrhosis or chronic heart failure have a blood perfusion problem in the kidneys leading to a progressive loss of renal function.
