When a patient suffers from insufficiently functioning kidneys, the condition is called kidney failure or renal failure. End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is another commonly used term for kidney failure. When a patient develops ESRD, the body does not remove the excess fluid from the body. Urine output may decline which may cause a rise in blood pressure, shortness of breath and swelling in several areas on the body.
With renal failure, waste products build up internally. These waste products lead to uremia, urine in the blood, which affects all internal systems and often cause severe nausea.
The body may not be able to produce sufficient amounts of red blood cells. Subsequently, the blood chemistry may become abnormal, and the patient suffering from solute imbalance may therefore also have low levels of potassium, calcium and phosphorus.
There are several different reasons behind kidney failure. A leading cause to chronic renal failure is inflammation of the glomeruli in the kidney. Other prominent causes behind renal failure are longstanding diabetes mellitus which leads to significant structural kidney damage and hypertension. There are several additional conditions and ailments which lead to chronic and acute renal failure.
Acute renal failure
In some cases only a temporary condition, acute renal failure can after a brief period under dialysis treatment deteriorate and kidneys can in rare cases actually recover. But the reason behind this condition could be diminished blood supply to the kidneys or obstructed urine flow. Traumatic damage to the kidneys, e.g., in a car crash, may also lower kidney capacity. Some forms of renal inflammation can appear and progress very rapidly.
Chronic renal failure
Most people with kidney problems have chronic renal failure. CRF is a long and usually slow process where the kidneys gradually lose their function. End stage renal disease (ESRD) is present when the Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) < 15ml/minute; a point at which renal replacement therapy becomes necessary.