Renal failure

Renal failure or kidney failure is a situation in which the kidney fail to function adequately. It is divided in acute and chronic forms; either form may be due to a large number of other medical problems. Biochemically, it is typically detected by an elevated serum creatinine. In the science of physiology, renal failure is described as a decrease in the glomerular filtration rate. When the kidneys malfunction, problems frequently encountered are abnormal fluid levels in the body, deranged acid levels, abnormal levels of potassium, calcium, phosphate, hematuria (blood in the urine) and (in the longer term) anemia. Long-term kidney problems have significant repercussions on other diseases, such as cardiovascular disease. Renal failure can broadly be divided into two categories: acute renal failure and chronic kidney disease.The type of renal failure (acute vs. chronic) is determined by the trend in the serum creatinine. Other factors which may help differentiate acute and chronic... full article at wikipedia