Acute Kidney Injury: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Pathophysiology 

AKI (Acute Kidney Injury) is the primary source of nephrology discussion and is connected with increased death rates. Acute kidney failure is a sudden reduction in kidney function grounded on the increase in the level of serum creatinine, a reduction in urine output which leads to dialysis or it can be an amalgamation of all these factors (Rahman, Shad, & Smith, 2012). Acute kidney injury is initiated by a number of key conditions, and they include nephrotoxicity or hypoxia, and ischemia. The sudden decline in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) may be connected to the drop in renal blood flow. Renal injury is connected with the highly metabolically active nephron segments. Aside from this, inflammation is also regarded as a significant aspect of acute kidney injury, which is related to insensitivity to vasodilator therapy (Basile, Anderson, & Sutton, 2011). 

Etiology 

The causes of AKI may be grouped into three distinct classes, namely prerenal, intrinsic renal, and postrenal roots. Around 70% of community-acquired AKI can be connected to prerenal roots. In prerenal cases, the fundamental kidney function can be standard; however, reduced renal profusion that is connected with reduced arterial pressure or intravascular volume depletion may result in decreased GFR. Intrinsic renal causes are a significant source of AKI and may be grouped by the constituent of the kidney which is mainly impacted, for instance, vascular or interstitial, glomerular or tubular (Rahman, Shad, & Smith, 2012). The final causes of acute kidney injury are known as postrenal causes. These cases are usually caused by the blockage of urinary flow and also prostatic hypertrophy, which is the main reason of block age among older males. 

Prevention 

Acute kidney failure may be hard to prevent or even predict. However, people can reduce the risk by taking good care of their kidneys. They can do so by paying close attention to the drug labels, especially when taking over the counter pain relief medication. People should take medication as prescribed by a pharmacist or doctor because taking too much medication can increase the risk of AKI (“Acute Kidney Failure,” 2018). In addition to this, people should also work with their doctors in order to manage kidney and other chronic conditions. This is because kidney disease and other chronic conditions increase the likelihood of acute kidney injury. People should also strive to make a healthy lifestyle a priority by consuming alcohol in moderation and eating a balanced diet. 

Procedures and Testing 

A physical examination and the patient history, with a focus on evaluating the victim’s volume status, are key for establishing the reason for acute kidney failure. When assessing the patient’s medical record, medical practitioners should look for systemic illnesses or the use of nephrotoxic medications which may result in poor renal perfusion that can directly impair renal functions (Rahman, Shad, & Smith, 2012). When conducting a physical examination, doctors should be looking for intravascular volume status as well as skin rashes that may be indicative of systemic illnesses. Laboratory testing should be centered on complete blood count, urinalysis, and the measure the level serum creatinine and fractional secretion of sodium. 

Management of Condition 

Effective management of acute kidney failure will require close cooperation between nephrologists, primary care doctors, and other specialist taking care of the patient. Patients suffering from AKI ought to be hospitalized lest the disease is relatively mild. The important to management is ensuring satisfactory renal perfusion, which is attained by ensuring, attaining and sustaining hemodynamics constancy and attaining hemodynamic stability (Rahman, Shad, & Smith, 2012). The patients should also ensure they focus on electrolyte imbalance. In addition to this, patients should ensure that they take prescribed medication by their primary care physician. 

References 

Acute Kidney Failure”. (2018). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved From. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kidney-failure/symptoms-causes/syc-20369048 

Basile, D. P., Anderson, M. D., & Sutton, T. A. (2011). Pathophysiology of acute kidney injury. Comprehensive Physiology, 2(2), 1303-1353. 

Rahman, M., Shad, F., & Smith, M. C. (2012). Acute kidney injury: a guide to diagnosis and management. American family physician, 86(7).