loading

All Services

Acute Kidney Injury

Chronic Kidney Disease

Overview

 

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is where your kidneys suddenly stop working properly. It can range from minor loss of kidney function to complete kidney failure.AKI normally happens as a complication of another serious illness. It’s not the result of a physical blow to the kidneys, as the name might suggest.This type of kidney damage is usually seen in older people who are unwell with other conditions and the kidneys are also affected.
It’s essential that AKI is detected early and treated promptly.Without quick treatment, abnormal levels of salts and chemicals can build up in the body, which affects the ability of other organs to work properly.
If the kidneys shut down completely, this may require temporary support from a dialysis machine, or lead to death.AKI can also affect children and young people.

Symptoms & Causes

  • Feeling sick or being sick
  • Diarrhoea
  • Dehydration
  • Confusion
  • Drowsiness

Usually, a nephrologist is called when your doctor sees a change in the level of creatinine in your blood test. When your creatinine level increases, it means your kidney is not filtering creatinine at the appropriate rate, which indicates a kidney problem.

Tests including urinalysis, kidney ultrasound, and other blood tests that might show why and how the kidney has been injured. Many types of medications and fluids can be used to treat acute kidney injury depending on the cause.

We treat the underlying cause of the kidney injury first, which will usually lead to quick relief of many of the symptoms, so our patients typically don’t experience any distress once the treatment process is underway.

Treating Acute kidney injury

Treatment of AKI depends on what’s causing your illness and how severe it is.

You may need:

  • to increase your intake of water and other fluids if you’re dehydrated
  • antibiotics if you have an infection
  • to stop taking certain medicines (at least until the problem is sorted)
  • a urinary catheter, a thin tube used to drain the bladder if there’s a blockage

You may need to go to hospital for some treatments.

Most people with AKI make a full recovery, but some people go on to 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.