
What Does Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) Mean?
ACUTE
The term "acute" refers to a recently developed illness.
And it usually develops over a few days.
‘Acute’ does not always mean that a problem is severe, just that it developed recently.
AKI reduces the body's ability to remove waste products from the blood via the kidney.
When you are unwell, blood tests are usually used to detect this.
When the kidneys are unable to eliminate excess water, it can accumulate in the legs or the chest.
And it will have an equal impact on both of your kidneys.
Injury means that the kidney is damaged, usually by another illness or sometimes by medication.
AKI was previously known as acute kidney failure, which is misleading because the kidneys don’t fail completely; as a result, it is now called kidney injury.
What Is Acute Kidney Injury?
Acute kidney Injury (AKI) is defined as a sudden loss of kidney function caused by an accumulation of waste products from the body's metabolism in the blood. This occurs when the kidneys cannot eliminate the toxins found in urine on a daily basis, which can lead to serious complications. Acute kidney failure treatment is most common in people who are already hospitalised, especially those who are critically ill and require intensive care.
The causes of acute kidney injury can often be treated with acute kidney injury treatment within a few days or weeks, and kidney function can be restored. Follow-up visits and monitoring may be required to ensure the acute kidney failure has been resolved, and preventive measures may be required to avoid a recurrence.
Causes of Acute Kidney Injury:
Acute kidney Injury is caused by one of the following factors.
Prerenal: Issues affecting blood flow before it reaches the kidneys.
Postrenal: Issues with the movement of urine out of the kidneys.
Renal: Issues with the kidney that prevent proper blood filtration or urine production.
The following are some of the causes of acute kidney injury:
- Low blood pressure (hypotension)
- Heart Attack
- Severe dehydration
- Liver failure
- Serious infection
- Severe injury
- Sepsis damage (due to medications or toxins)
- Serious burns
- Severe kidney stone
- Bladder, cervical, colon, or prostate cancer
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Acute Kidney Injury?
Symptoms of acute kidney injury develop quickly over several hours or days. If you do have symptoms, they’ll depend on how bad your loss of kidney function is, how quickly you lose kidney function and the reasons for your kidney failure. Symptoms may include:
- Blood in the urine, or urine that is red or brown
- Too little urine formation.
- Swelling of the legs, ankles, and the area around the eyes
- Tiredness or fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Confusion
- Loss of appetite
- Itching
- Stomach and back pain
- Nausea
- Nose bleeds
- Fever
- Seizures or coma (in severe cases)
- Pain or pressure in the chest
AKI can cause no symptoms in some cases and is only found through other tests performed by the best Nephrologist in Hyderabad.
Risk Factors for Acute Kidney Injury
The majority of the time, kidney failure occurs along with another medical condition or event. If you fall into any of the following categories, you are more likely to experience acute kidney failure:
- Being hospitalized, especially for a serious condition that requires intensive care
- Advanced age
- Blockages in the blood vessels in your arms or legs (peripheral artery disease)
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Heart failure
- Kidney diseases
- Liver diseases
- Certain cancers and their treatments
Diagnosis Of Acute Kidney Injury?
If your Kidney Specialist Doctor in Hyderabad suspects you have AKI, they will order various tests based on the cause of your acute kidney injury. AKI must be detected as soon as possible because it can lead to chronic kidney disease or even kidney failure. It can also cause heart disease and death.
Urinalysis- Measuring urine output
- Blood tests
- Imaging tests- Renal Doppler scan and renal ultrasound
Kidney biopsy
Treatment Of Acute Kidney Injury:
Acute renal failure treatment is decided by the underlying cause of the condition. If it is caused by medication, your doctor may advise you to discontinue the use of that medication. If it is caused by an infection, your doctor may investigate acute kidney failure treatment options. When there are life-threatening conditions or an imbalance in fluids, electrolytes, or acid-base balance in your body, your doctor may put you on dialysis, a machine that does the kidneys’ job for you while your kidneys recover.
These treatments can include:
Intravenous (IV) fluids:For example, a person suffering from acute kidney injury due to severe dehydration after a heat stroke may benefit from IV fluids. When a low fluid volume is the Best kidney doctor in Hyderabad cause of acute renal failure, providing fluids to the body can help restore fluid levels.
Electrolyte management:If your fluids and electrolytes are out of balance, your healthcare providers may give you electrolyte supplements or medications to help you get rid of excess electrolytes.
Stopping the use of toxins:If acute renal failure is caused by a medication or supplement, treatment should include discontinuing the medication.
Changes in your diet:Your doctor will tell you if you need to change your diet. People with acute kidney injury must usually avoid or limit foods high in sodium (salt), potassium, and phosphorus.
Dialysis:This treatment helps the body filter the blood (doing the job that the kidneys can no longer perform).
In hemodialysis, a machine regularly cleans your blood for you. People often receive this Acute Kidney Injury Treatment In Hyderabad at a hospital or dialysis clinic 3 or 4 days each week.
Peritoneal dialysis cleans the blood in a slightly different way using a dialysis solution and a catheter. Sometimes, people can do this treatment at home.
Acute Kidney injury Complications:
Acute kidney injury can sometimes cause complications. These include:
- Volume overload
- Chest pain.
- Acidic blood (metabolic acidosis)
- Muscle weakness.
- Permanent kidney damage.
Acute Kidney Failure Prevention:
You can reduce your risk of getting acute kidney failure by practising some healthy habits.
- Be careful when taking over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications
- Follow your doctor’s advice
- Keep a healthy lifestyle
- Keep your blood sugar levels under control if you have diabetes.
- Keep your blood pressure levels in a normal range
- Avoid smoking
If you are experiencing symptoms of acute kidney disease, talk to our Acute Kidney Injury Treatment Doctor about an appointment with a DR PRANITHRAM, a nephrologist. DR PRANITHRAM Renal Care Centre is recognized as one of the Best centers for the diagnosis and management of kidney disease. Our doctors lead the way in acute kidney disease treatment for patients all over Hyderabad. Schedule an appointment with us at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
AKI treatment usually requires a hospital stay. The majority of people who suffer from acute kidney injury are already in the hospital for another reason. The duration of your hospital stay is determined by the cause of your AKI and how quickly your kidneys recover.
Acute kidney Injury can be fatal and requires intensive treatment. However, acute kidney Injury may be reversible. If you're otherwise in good health, you may recover normal or nearly normal kidney function.
While a damaged kidney typically can't heal itself, the condition can be treated if detected early. Acute kidney failure can be reversed with prompt hospitalization, but recovery can take weeks to months and requires regular monitoring, dietary changes, and medications.
Most people with AKI successfully recover completely, but some develop chronic kidney disease or long-term kidney failure as a result. In severe cases, dialysis, where a machine filters the blood to rid the body of harmful waste, extra salt, and water, may be needed.
In some cases, AKI may get better in a couple of days with observation, or medicine and fluids if needed. But sometimes the AKI is severe or affects other parts of the body, and recovery may take weeks or months.