Knowra Uremia Uremia Uremia is a clinical syndrome caused by severe kidney failure and the resulting accumulation of waste products and other disturbances in the blood. It can affect multiple organs, especially the nervous, cardiovascular, and digestive systems.
Chronic kidney disease : A long-term loss of kidney structure or function, classified by cause, filtration level, and evidence of kidney damage. Progressive chronic kidney disease is a common route to the kidney failure underlying uremia.
Uremic encephalopathy : A potentially reversible brain dysfunction caused by severe kidney failure and associated metabolic disturbances. Confusion, reduced alertness, or seizures can mark severe neurological involvement in uremia.
Azotemia : An elevated concentration of nitrogen-containing waste products, especially urea and creatinine, in the blood. Azotemia is a laboratory finding; uremia describes the clinical syndrome that may accompany it.
Urea : A nitrogen-containing waste molecule formed mainly in the liver from ammonia and excreted largely by the kidneys. Blood urea is routinely measured, but its concentration alone does not capture the full uremic syndrome.
Glomerular filtration rate : A measure of how much blood the kidneys filter each minute, adjusted to a standard body surface area. A severely reduced filtration rate signals loss of the kidneys’ waste-clearing capacity.
Uremic pericarditis : Inflammation of the pericardium associated with advanced kidney failure and uremia. This cardiac manifestation can signal severe uremia and prompt urgent dialysis.
Acute kidney injury : A rapid decline in kidney function, often developing over hours to days. An abrupt loss of filtration can cause uremia, although acute kidney injury does not always do so.
Creatinine : A breakdown product of muscle creatine phosphate used in blood tests to estimate kidney filtration. Creatinine helps assess kidney function, but it is not a complete measure of uremic toxicity.
Uremic toxins : Substances that accumulate in kidney failure and contribute to harmful biological effects. Their accumulation is part of the biochemical disturbance that produces uremic illness.
Dialysis : Treatment that removes waste and excess fluid from blood when the kidneys cannot do so adequately. Dialysis can relieve uremic symptoms by replacing part of the kidneys’ filtering function.
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