What causes renal failure?

Approximately 10 % of the population is affected by kidney failure worldwide. Also, it is found that the kidney disease is a worldwide health crisis as there is high increase in the number of deaths due to kidney failure. For most of the individuals the disease occurs slowly over years and it may also cause other conditions that may harm your body.

Kidney failure or renal failure is the inability of the kidneys to function properly. Your kidneys are involved in various bodily processes such as removing the waste products and extra fluids from the body. It also controls your blood pressure so that your body stays healthy. In this article we will learn about the causes of kidney failure that would help you reducing the risk of fatal complications.

Causes of renal failure

There are various causes of kidney failure and learning about them would benefit you to preserve the remaining renal function. The causes include the following:

Prerenal causes:

Prerenal causes are the conditions that may progress to renal failure which can be due to loss of blood flow to the kidneys. Some conditions that cause loss of blood flow to the kidneys are the following:

• Dehydration that may result in fall in blood volume
• Severe vomiting and diarrhea leading to excessive loss of fluid
• Extensive burns that may lead to fluid loss
• Bleeding due to injuries and other causes
• Excessive intake of alcohol
• Anaphylactic shock due to certain allergens such as peanuts
• Severe infection, such as sepsis
• Heart failure or cardiogenic shock
• Certain medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs or contrast dyes may also decrease the renal blood flow

Renal causes :

Renal causes are the conditions that lie within the kidney leading to abnormal functioning of your kidneys. The following are certain renal causes:
• Chronic loss of blood supply to the kidney tissues
• Intake of toxins such as heavy metals, organic solvents, and drugs (such as aminoglycosides) affects the kidney tissues
• Blockage of the tubules in the kidney due to conditions such as hemoglobinuria, myoglobinuria, or uric acid casts
• Severe kidney infection or conditions such as pyelonephritis, acute glomerulonephritis

Postrenal causes

If your body can’t eliminate the urine, the toxins may build up in the kidneys causing overload. Also, there are some cancers such as prostate, colon, cervical, and bladder cancers that block the passage of urine. The other conditions that can interfere the kidney functioning include the following:
• Presence of kidney stones
• Obstruction of the ureters
• Blockage in the bladder outlet that may cause backflow of the urine into the kidneys
• Enlarged prostate gland obstructs the elimination of urine
• Formation of blood clots within your urinary tract
• Nerve damage that controls your bladder

Chronic renal failure causes

If there is a long-term damage to the kidneys due to any other condition, that may result in chronic kidney failure. The conditions include the following:
• Diabetic nephropathy
• Hypertensive nephropathy
• Polycystic kidney disease
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome
• Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura
• Long term glomerulonephritis
• Vasculitis and lupus