Kidney Failure From Sepsis
Kidney failure is very common in sepsis, but it can be reversed most of the time with the proper treatment of sepsis. If you would like to understand what sepsis is, please read this article: Low blood pressure and a fever, think sepsis. In summary, sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication from an infection where the body can get overwhelmed and crash down.
Patients with severe sepsis and kidney failure may need intensive care in the ICU. The treatment is focused on treating the infection and supporting the body to maintain good blood circulation. If a good blood circulation with normal blood pressure is restored, the kidneys start to recover, and the kidney failure can be ultimately reversed back to normal.
How Hydration Effects Your Kidneys
The main job of the kidneys is to filter out excess fluid, waste, and byproducts from your blood and expels them through your urine. Dehydration can make this job near impossible. When you are dehydrated, there are excess proteins and minerals that can build up in your system and actually even crystalize. This is where most kidney stones are formed.
Staying properly hydrated can help your kidneys work as they were intended to, or at the very least not make it too difficult for them to function.
Rhabdomyolysis And Acute Kidney Injury Due To Severe Heat Stroke
Máximo H. Trujillo
1Critical Care Department, ICU, Instituto Médico La Floresta , Caracas 1060, Venezuela
2Critical Care Department, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas 1050, Venezuela
Abstract
We present a case of heat stroke and acute kidney injury due to severe rhabdomyolysis in a 14-year-old previously healthy female patient. When she was practicing strenuous exercise she suffered acute seizures and high fever. These symptoms were followed by coma and multiple organ failure , which included AKI, encephalopathy, fulminant hepatic failure , and disseminated intravascular coagulation . The patient was managed in the ICU with renal replacement therapy, ventilatory support, and other vital supporting measures. After three weeks of ICU treatment she made a full recovery.
1. Introduction
The classic presentation of rhabdomyolysis includes myalgias, limb weakness, and pigmenturia due to myoglobinuria without hematuria. AKI is a potential complication of severe rhabdomyolysis independently of its etiology, which accounts for 815% of all cases of AKI in the US. The mortality rate of HS can be as high as 70%, especially when treatment is delayed, and the presence of MOF . Elevated serum creatinine and oliguria associated with rhabdomyolysis and coagulopathy in HS further increase the rate of AKI and mortality .
2. Report of the Case
3. Discussion
Acknowledgment
The authors are indebted to Mr. Michael Bench for his assistance in the preparation of the paper.
References
Recommended Reading: Can Kidney Stones Increase Blood Sugar
Kidney Failure Due To The Blockage Of Urine
I am combining the last 3 causes of reversible kidney failures into one because they all cause kidney failure by blocking the flow of urine. An enlarged prostate or kidney stones on both sides of a bladder tumor can stop the flow of urine. When the urine stops flowing, it builds up and makes it harder for the kidneys to filter any new blood. Ultimately, the kidneys stop working and you have kidney failure. As long as you restore the flow of urine before there is any permanent kidney damage, you can reverse these types of kidney failure.
In conclusion, it is important to get an urgent medical evaluation when you are diagnosed with kidney failure there are several types of kidney failures that can be reversed if treated in time. If you are hospitalized with bleeding, sepsis, heat exhaustion, or urine obstruction, you can expect your kidney failure to be reversed most of the time.
References:
Water Rest Shade Plan
Jason Glaser, president of the La Isla Foundation advocacy group, has worked on occupational interventions that companies can introduce to reduce the risk for heat stress nephropathy and improve the lot of at-risk workers.
“The thing to remember is that sugar was the focus in Central America because it is such a dominant crop in areas that possess all the identified risks, but we are sure to see this disease in other industries in which people are exposed to heat stress, dehydration, and potential toxins,” Glaser told Medscape Medical News.
In El Salvador, for example, the La Isla network WE program encourages sugarcane workers to adopt a “water, rest, shade” strategy to reduce heat stress and the risk for dehydration.
Workers in the fields are provided with hydration backpacks so they can quench their thirst while working, diminishing the risk for dehydration and its consequences for the kidneys. Workers are also encouraged to take frequent rest breaks in shade tents placed around the fields so they can get out of the sun.
And experts have developed a machete that reduces the energy needed to cut sugarcane and increases productivity. The custom-made blade also reduces the common repetitive-strain injuries experienced by workers.
“Worldwide, we have a long way to go,” Glaser acknowledged, “although there are hopeful signs, with some companies beginning to study whether chronic kidney disease is affecting their workforce.”
Follow Medscape Nephrology on Twitter
Also Check: Grapes And Kidney Stones
Eating Too Many Foods High In Sugar
Sugar contributes to obesity which increases your risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes, two of the leading causes of kidney disease. In addition to desserts, sugar is often added to foods and drinks that you may not consider sweet. Avoid condiments, breakfast cereals, and white bread which are all sneaky sources of processed sugar. Pay attention to the ingredients when buying packaged goods to avoid added sugar in your diet.
Can Hot Weather Affect Chronic Kidney Disease Patients
Summer often brings sunny skies, warm weather, and good times for many Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis patients. It also brings challenging times for workers exposed to chronic heat stress and recurrent dehydration, increasing their risk for CKD and, ultimately, kidney failure. There are crucial precautions that every Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis patient should take during the sunny and warm summer months to protect their health gains and improve their quality of life.The summer season in Florida has very high temperatures and high humidity. As a result, heat illness could affect many people. Heat illness occurs when the body temperature exceeds the individual’s ability to dissipate that heat. The clinical characteristics of heat illness are when the body temperature approaches 104 degrees Fahrenheit and when humidity is greater than 70%. Once the humidity is high, sweating becomes less effective at dissipating body heat, and the core body temperature begins to rise.
Read Also: Is Cranberry Juice Good For Your Liver
Heat Exhaustion Versus Heat Stroke
Heat exhaustion, if left untreated, can lead to heatstroke.
Unlike heatstroke, which can be life-threatening, heat exhaustion does not cause impaired mental function, confusion, or loss of consciousness.
Cases of heat exhaustion are also distinguished from heatstroke because a persons internal body temperature does not go above 103°F.
Heat stroke is less common than heat exhaustion but more serious it puts strain on the heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver.
Heat exhaustion is most often caused by a combination of physical exertion and warm weather.
Additional factors known to increase the likelihood of heat exhaustion include:
- high humidity, usually over 60 percent
- liver or kidney conditions
If heat exhaustion is suspected, a person should stop doing exercise or physical activity immediately. A person with heat exhaustion should also drink fluids as soon as possible.
Further tips for treating heat exhaustion include:
- seeking out a cool, shaded area or going indoors
- loosening clothing
- lying flat on the back
- taking a lukewarm or cool shower
- placing a cool, wet cloth on the face and chest
- in severe cases, putting ice packs under each armpit and behind the neck
- drinking 1 liter per hour of drinks that contain electrolytes, such as Gatorade or Gastrolyte
Mesoamerican Nephropathy And Other Regional Nephropathies Potentially Linked To Heat Stress
Since the late 1990s, many studies have documented a startling excess of CKD in Central America and Southern Mexico, a phenomenon termed Mesoamerican nephropathy., , , , Rates of CKD in these regions are nearly 9 times higher than in age-matched populations in the United States. El Salvador currently has the highest mortality rate from kidney disease in the world. The highest rates of CKD are observed among sugarcane workers in the hottest Pacific lowlands of Nicaragua and El Salvador, where the prevalence of CKD is 18% compared with 1% in communities at higher, cooler elevations. Scientists initially suspected that pesticides used in sugarcane production might be implicated in this epidemic. However, when kidney function was compared between groups of lowland and highland sugarcane workers, the lowland workers were 10 times more likely to demonstrate elevated serum creatinine. Sugarcane harvesting typically involves 4 to 12 hours of uninterrupted intense physical exertion, in temperatures that range on average between 34° to 42°C., , , , Fields are usually burned the night before harvesting, and workers entering this heated environment quickly becoming coated in soot, which further impedes cooling. Although workers can take water breaks, payment is based on the amount of cane cut, and several studies have shown that workers exhibit signs of dehydration., , , ,
Don’t Miss: Can Diet Coke Cause Kidney Stones
Symptoms Of Kidney Pain
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs about the size of a clenched fist that are part of the urinary tract. The urinary tract is responsible for making urine and removing it from the body.
Kidney pain, also known as renal pain, can be felt where the kidneys are located: in the middle of the back, on either side of the spine, and just under the ribcage. Sometimes, the pain will be situated on the side of the body between the upper abdomen and back, where it is referred to as flank pain.
The kidney pain may be unilateral or bilateral . It can also be acute or chronic .
Kidney pain often feels like a dull ache that gets worse when someone presses on the overlying area. However, certain conditions can trigger intense and even excruciating pain accompanied by symptoms such as:
- Fever with chills
Effect Of Soft Drinks In Heat Stress
Soft drinks contain fructose, a sugar that results in local tubular injury, inflammation, and oxidative stress when metabolized by the kidney . Recent studies suggest that soft drinks may increase the risk for acute and chronic kidney injury . Indeed, experimental studies have shown that rehydration with soft drinks could enhance kidney damage in dehydrated rats . In addition to the injury associated with fructose metabolism, fructose may be able to stimulate vasopressin that can then augment the renal injury . Indeed, a recent clinical study also reported that rehydration with soft drinks could induce markers of kidney damage in healthy subjects following exercise in high temperatures , although epidemiologic studies conducted in hot field settings to date have found no association.
Also Check: Is Watermelon Good For Your Kidneys
Liver And Kidney Dynamics
In some cases of chronic heart failure, the liver having been struggling for a long time with reduced blood flow just starts giving out, no longer able to function well with the poor blood supply.
The kidneys then follow suit. How do we know this in some patients? The precise pathogenesis of acute organ failure is often unclear.
But what if symptoms of acute liver failure are present in a chronic heart failure patient, yet during that time, their creatinine is at 2.5?
A 2.5 creatinine means poor renal function, but not poor enough to cause symptoms such as ascites , appetite suppression, nausea and increased fatigue which a liver thats on the cusp of acute failure can easily cause.
The symptoms, though, can also be caused by a heart thats entering acute decompensation.
But assume theyre being generated by the beginning of acute liver failure.
And within a few days, during which the symptoms have become more pronounced including jaundice the creatine has jumped to 3.2!
Hmmm, it seems as though acute kidney injury is in progress triggered by the acute liver failure.
Indeed, dying liver cells can lead to backup in the vein that supplies the liver.
This creates a chain of events that culminates in constriction of the kidneys blood vessels.
With constricted blood vessels there will be reduced blood flow to these organs, leading to worsening renal function.
The liver and kidneys are supposed to keep toxins, that all of us have in our bodies, quarantined.
Who’s At Risk What Are The Risk Factors
Heat illness is characterized by loss of sweating, confusion leading to coma, fast pulse, low blood pressure, heart failure and kidney failure. Patients with heat illness will not be able to notice the change so it’s important that family members be alert for changes when the mercury begins to rise, especially in the very young and the very old who are most susceptible to heat illness.
Infants and the very young have a high surface area to mass ratio and will absorb heat from the environment more readily. The young also have no way to remove themselves from warm environments. If they are left unattended in a car or enclosed area without cooling, their body temperatures can rise very quickly. Teenage athletes are very prone to heat illness in the summer months when beginning training schedules for such activities as soccer and football.
The elderly frequently have heart disease, take medication that can lead to dehydration, and may live in enclosed environments that are not cooled. Many may have muscular, neurologic or psychiatric diseases that make them unable to remove themselves from those environments. There are many psychiatric drugs that predispose to heat illness. Obesity and alcohol abuse are very frequent risk factors for heat illness.
Recommended Reading: Is Ginger Tea Good For Kidneys
Prevention And Mitigation Strategies
Occupational health and safety guidelines have been developed to protect workers, yet many workers are denied this right. Even with enforced guidelines and recommendations for work modification, highly motivated individuals often exert themselves beyond safe thermal limits, sometimes resulting in serious health consequences. As well, the social norms or culture of an institution affect these practices. In workers with a low socioeconomic status, payment per output or fear of losing employment can drive individuals to work beyond safe thermal limits. Concerning labor violations among farm workers in the Central American sugar sector were observed by an independent nonprofit organization, which conducted a risk analysis based on interviews. They found evidence of recruitment abuses, child labor, restrictions on workers right to freedom of association, gender-based discrimination, wage and working hours violations, inhumane living conditions, and threats to workers health and safety, such as lacked access to sufficient food, potable water, breaks, and shade while working. They also observed that pain killers were also provided by the companies for workers to meet the rigorous physical demands of their jobs.
Also, as mentioned by Kenefick et al., employers have not always promoted drinking, as this would require more rest breaks and thus decrease employee productivity.
Preventive strategies against occupational heat stress.
Limitations Of This Study
This study has limitations. This was a single-center retrospective cohort study with a relatively small number of cases. In addition, all the patients were male, the average age was relatively young, and the type of heatstroke was restricted to EHS. The results do not fully reflect the overall conditions of the heatstroke population, which may reduce the reliability of the statistical analysis. Subsequent studies should expand the sample size and employ a prospective randomized controlled trial design to achieve higher-level clinical results.
Also Check: Apple Cider Vinegar And Kidneys
Why Hydration Is Important
Your body needs hydration to survive. In fact, if you were stranded on a deserted island without food or drinkable water, you would dehydrate faster than you would starve. Island or no, dehydration can affect anyone and can even be quite severe. Dehydration can cause cognitive issues, headache, dizziness, increased heart rate, urinary problems, and a host of other potentially dangerous side effects.
Kidney Disease In Cats Faqs
What is the life expectancy of a cat with kidney disease?
The life expectancy of a cat with kidney disease varies depending on the underlying cause and the stage at which it is diagnosed. Cats in the earlier stages can, if the underlying disease is treated appropriately, live a normal life.
Are cats in pain with kidney disease?
For most conditions listed above, I wouldnt classify kidney disease in of itself as painful. The systemic effects and long-term implications, however, can certainly be debilitating and often lead to painful conditions.
Can a cat recover from kidney disease?
Some cats that experience acute kidney insults can recover, although there may be long-term effects that can lead to chronic kidney failure. Cats in chronic kidney failure will not recover, in the sense that they will have no lingering effects of the disease, as it is not curable. However, cats can go on to live a relatively normal life, with some lifestyle changes and long-term management.
Help us make PetMD better
Was this article helpful?
What did you find helpful?
- This article had helpful info and advice that I trust.
- Article was somewhat helpful, but could be improved.
What was not helpful?
- Article wasn’t very helpful and needs improvement.
Say more…
Read Also: Watermelon Good For Kidneys
Heart Failure Can Cause Liver Failure And Kidney Failure But What Are The Odds That The Liver And Kidneys Decide To Fail At The Exact Same Time
Is it more likely that heart failure injures the liver first, and then the liver injury causes a reduction in blood flow to both kidneys, thereby making both of them fail?
Well, keep in mind that the basic reason for liver failure in the context of heart failure is impaired perfusion or blood flow to the liver, begins Mark Pool, MD, a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon based in TX whos been in private practice since 2011.
May also be related to hepatic congestion from impaired blood flow through the heart i.e., blood backing up into the lungs and all the way back to the liver.
The mechanism for kidney failure in this context is usually also impaired perfusion.
So, the heart is weak, not pumping enough blood to the kidneys, and the liver and the organs begin to fail.
This can occur even if the blood pressure is low. Keep in mind that adequate perfusion is related to both the pressure and the volume of blood pumped.
So, the BP can be sufficient but the volume of blood insufficient, if the ejection fraction is very low.