What do healthy kidneys do?
Remove excess body water
Remove waste products
Produce hormones to produce red blood cells
Produce hormones to keep your bones strong
Produce hormones to control blood pressure
Balance electrolytes in the body
What happens when kidneys fail?
Decreased urine production
Build up of waste products in the blood
Build up of fluids in the tissue
Anaemia and bone disease may develop
High blood pressure
Imbalance of chemicals
Why do kidneys stop working?
Diabetes
Diabetes can destroy the kidney tiny blood vessels that filter waste 20%-40% of diabetic patients develop Chronic Kidney Disease
High blood pressure
Decrease filtration rates induce sodium and fluid retention and consequent hypertension
Chronic kidney infections
Pyelonephritis Urinary tract infection
Congenital and hereditary defects
Polycystic kidney Hypoplastic kidney Uropathies
Certain drugs
Have an adverse effect decrease renal perfusion
Other diseases
Unknown cause
Some symptoms of kidney failure