By Daphne Rasehei & Rositta Liosi – EMTV Online
World Kidney Day is a global health awareness campaign focusing on the importance of the kidneys and reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.
The campaign is celebrated every year on the second Thursday of March in more than 100 countries on 6 continents.
In light of world Kidney Day, March 10, here are five different types of kidney failure;
Insufficient blood flow to the kidneys can cause acute prerenal kidney failure. The kidneys can’t filter toxins from the blood without enough blood flow. This type of kidney failure can usually be cured once the cause of the decreased blood flow is determined.
Acute Intrinsic Kidney Failure
Acute intrinsic kidney failure can be caused by direct trauma to the kidneys, such as physical impact or an accident. Causes also include toxin overload and ischemia, which is a lack of oxygen to the kidneys. Ischemia may be caused by:
- severe bleeding
- shock
- renal blood vessel obstruction
- glomerulonephrit’s, which is an inflammation of the tiny filters in your kidneys
Chronic Prerenal Kidney Failure
When there isn’t enough blood flowing to the kidneys for an extended period of time, the kidneys begin to shrink and lose the ability to function.
Chronic Intrinsic Kidney Failure
This happens when there is long-term damage to the kidneys due to intrinsic kidney disease. Intrinsic kidney disease is caused by a direct trauma to the kidneys, such as severe bleeding or a lack of oxygen.
Chronic Post-Renal Kidney Failure
A long-term blockage of the urinary tract prevents urination, which causes pressure and eventual kidney damage.
(For more information, click on the links or visit, http://www.worldkidneyday.org )