Common Causes of Kidney Failure You Should Know

Medical, Health, and Lifestyle conditions that cause kidney failure

Kidney failure is most often the consequence of continuous damage rather than a single incident. Various health conditions, lifestyle choices, and even sudden medical emergencies can slowly or quickly impact how well your kidneys work. Knowing the main causes below can help you act promptly and lessen the chance of long-term damage.

• Diabetes: Prolonged high sugar levels in the blood, harm the small kidney filtering units (nephrons). Eventually, their ability to clear waste diminishes, which is why diabetes is the number one cause of kidney failure globally.

• High Blood Pressure: The elevated pressure in the blood vessels continually stresses the kidneys, breaking down the fragile filtration system and causing slow, often unnoticed, damage.

• Autoimmune Diseases: In diseases like lupus and IgA where the immune system goes out of control and attacks the viruses and bacteria but also the bodies own healthy cells. As a result, the kidneys get inflamed and gradually lose their capacity to function.

• Genetic Disorders: A family history of polycystic kidney disease or other inherited conditions may trigger an abnormal growth of cysts in the kidneys. This may cause the cysts to increase in size and the kidneys to lose their ability to function normally.

• Chronic Infections: Frequent or unresolved infections, most notably urinary tract infections (UTIs), may reach the kidneys and cause them to scar and infect in a bad way. This results in a gradual decrease in the kidney’s working capacity.

• Urinary Tract Obstruction: Blockages in the urinary tract that are caused by kidney stones, tumors, or an enlarged prostate, can interfere with the normal flow of urine. As a result, pressure builds up and the kidneys may get damaged.

• Nephrotic Syndrome: When there is a large amount of protein in the urine, it leads to nephrotic syndrome, which is detrimental to the kidney’s function and predisposes to complications that are severe and long-term.

• Overuse of Medications:  If used inappropriately, some drugs, especially painkillers (NSAIDs) or medicines like lithium, can lead to kidney damage that worsens gradually. Unfortunately, this type of damage remains without symptoms most of the time; however, it can be reversed if the drugs are used only under the strict supervision of the doctor.

• Severe Dehydration: When the body is low on water, the blood supply circulating to the kidneys gets reduced. This not only hampers the ability of the kidneys to perform their functions but may also cause acute kidney injury (AKI).

• Heart Attack or Low Blood Flow: If blood circulation to the kidneys is suddenly decreased due to any condition, their functioning can be affected and if very bad, it may result in failure.

• Drug Abuse or Toxic Exposure: Harmful chemicals, drugs, or toxins poisoning can cause kidney cells damage and interfere with their normal functioning.

• Severe Infections: Killer infections like sepsis can leave a person’s body so wrecked it becomes inflamed and if not attended to, the kidneys end up failing suddenly as a result of it.