Renal failure, also known as kidney failure, can be acute or chronic. According to the MayoClinic.com website, acute renal failure is the abrupt onset over hours or days of kidney impairment, usually from an injury or a severe illness. Patients with acute renal failure are usually hospitalized. With treatment, the likelihood of full recovery is good, but complications may occur. The most serious complication of acute renal failure is permanent damage to the kidneys. Chronic renal failure is a gradual loss of kidney function, usually over decades. Chronic renal failure is a progressive, irreversible disease with multiple complications because kidney function affects the entire body.
Pulmonary Edema
Healthy kidneys regulate the amount of fluid in your body. In renal failure, the kidneys don’t filter enough water out of the body, and excess water may accumulate in the lungs, causing pulmonary edema. In pulmonary edema, fluid fills the lung sacs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged, preventing the absorption of sufficient oxygen. Symptoms of pulmonary edema include breathlessness, increased heart rate, restlessness, and anxiety. Breathlessness may get worse with lying down. Coughing may be present and may produce pink-tinged sputum. Pulmonary edema can be life-threatening. According to MayoClinic.com, treatment includes diuretics to trigger the kidneys to excrete more fluid, as well as supplemental oxygen and morphine.
High Blood Pressure
Through a complex network of hormones and feedback loops, the kidneys control blood pressure. Unfortunately, the malfunctioning of this network is a serious complication of renal failure. In an effort to maintain blood flow through the failing kidneys, hormones trigger increases in blood pressure even when pressures are already high. High blood pressures cause further kidney damage, and the cycle continues. Medication to control high blood pressure can help, especially in the early stages of renal failure. According to the American Kidney Fund, medications known as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers are the prefered drugs for controlling high blood pressure caused by kidney problems. According to pharmacologist Richard A. Lehne, these medications interrupt the malfunctioning feedback loop and help maintain improved blood pressure.
Heart Arrhythmias
Kidneys normally regulate the amount of potassium in the blood, but in renal failure they may lose that ability, and potassium levels may become dangerously high. Potassium plays an important role in regulating the heartbeat. When potassium levels are elevated, the heartbeat may become dangerously irregular and even lead to death.
Anemia
Kidneys manufacture a hormone called erythropoietin which triggers the bones to produce red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to every part of the body. According to MayoClinic.com, in renal failure, the kidneys produce too little erythropoietin, causing decreased numbers of red blood cells, This condition, called anemia, produces weakness and fatigue. MedlinePlus explains that physicians may prescribe supplemental erythropoietin to treat anemia in patients with renal failure.
Fragile Bones
The kidneys help regulate the balance of calcium, vitamin D, and phosphate in the body. In renal failure, this balance is impaired, resulting in loss of calcium from bones. Bones may become weak or brittle and more vulnerable to fractures. According to MedlinePlus, treatment usually includes calcium and vitamin D supplements as well as medication to reduce the amount of phosphate in the blood.
Other Complications
As renal failure progresses, complications may progress to include seizures, nausea, bone pain, foul breath, and abnormal bleeding and bruising. Because the kidneys play so many complex roles in the body, renal failure eventually overwhelms every organ system. Most patients with chronic renal failure eventually succumb to one of renal failure’s many complications.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Chronic Renal Failure
- American Kidney Fund: End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
- MedlinePlus: Kidney Failure
- MayoClinic.com: Pulmonary Edema
- Richard A. Lehne: Pharmacology for Nursing Care, 2006.
