Renal Failure: Most Effective Dietary Supplements

Renal failure is characterized by a decrease in the excretory function of the kidneys. It can be acute (AKI) or chronic (CKD). AKI is a sudden stop of renal function, while CKD develops gradually, leading to irreversible degradation of kidney function.

Risk Factors

The main risk factors are diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, recurrent urinary tract infections, prolonged use of nephrotoxic medications, and family history of nephropathies.

Symptoms

Symptoms of renal failure can include reduced urine output, edema development, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, anemia, electrolyte disturbances, and in advanced cases, seizures or coma.

Etiologies

Causes of acute renal failure: * Pre-renal causes: renal hypoperfusion due to dehydration, shock, or hypovolemia. * Renal causes: direct kidney injury, such as acute tubular necrosis or glomerulonephritis. * Post-renal causes: urinary tract obstruction by stones, tumors, or stenosis. Causes of chronic renal failure: * Diabetes: diabetic nephropathy. * High blood pressure: nephroangiosclerosis. Chronic glomerulonephritis, polycystic kidney disease, and other nephropathies.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis relies on clinical evaluation, biological tests (serum creatinine, urea), and imaging exams (renal ultrasound, MRI, CT scan). Echo-Doppler is essential for assessing renal perfusion and detecting vascular or urinary tract obstructions.

Treatment

The treatment for AKI aims to correct the underlying cause (volume resuscitation, infection treatment, obstruction removal). CKD requires rigorous management of comorbidities (blood sugar and blood pressure control, low-salt diet). Dialysis or kidney transplantation is necessary when progressing to end-stage renal disease.