What are the Causes of Uremia

Uremia is a medical term used to describe the clinical syndrome that accompanies kidney failure (or renal failure), typically the accumulation of blood urea nitrogen and other waste products in bloodstream. In kidney failure, the kidneys fail to remove various wastes out of the body. Uremia can be life-threatening because those wasteful products are toxic to the body and may result in a number of symptoms, such as itchy skin, vomiting, nausea, poor appetite, dry mouth, heart disease, loss of consciousness, etc. Timely confirming the causes of Uremia is of great significance in clinical practice, since quick and proper treatment may reverse the illness condition in the patients.

The causes of Uremia can be divided into three groups, pre-renal causes, renal causes and post-renal causes. The clinical manifestations and prognosis differ from one another because the specific cause leading to Uremia differs.

Pre-renal causes. Pre-renal causes reduce blood perfusion to the kidneys and decrease effective blood circulation, thus causing acute kidney function decline and resulting in Uremia. There are a number of causes, including severe traumas, main surgery, heavy blood loss, severe infections, septicemia, shocks, etc.

Renal causes. Renal causes refer to the group of diseases within the kidneys that cause Uremia. This can be various types of poorly treated glomerulonephritis, including membranous proliferative glomerulonephritis, acute nephritis, membranous nephritis, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Some types of genetic kidney diseases, such as known to have a disease called as Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). The diseased kidneys may result from a systemic disease, such as hypertension, systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP), Diabetes, Gout, amyloidosis, etc.

Post-renal causes. Post-renal causes are the factors that result in blockage of urinary tract which blocks the kidneys from filtrating wastes effectively. Common causes mainly include kidney stones, bilateral ureter stones, narrowing of urinary tract, tumors, prostatic hyperplasia, etc. Removing the specific inducing obstructive factor may reverse kidney damage in such cases.

In addition, some types of medicines may worsen renal condition, such as Polymyxin, Vancomycin, Sulfanilamide, Carbon Tetrachloride, Mercury Agent, etc, especially in those with a primary proof of kidney damage. Uremia usually needs hospitalization for treated. The treatment usually begins with addressing the specific cause of low blood flow of the kidneys or obstructions. Further treatment will focus on removing wastes in the body to control complications. Ongoing treatment includes dietary modification and proper care nursing to recover from the illness condition.