Acute kidney injury also called AKI is when your kidneys fail within a few hours or days, and are no longer able to function properly and clear the waste from your blood. Acute kidney injury can affect anyone, but is more common in the elderly or people who are in the intensive care unit of a hospital.
Acute kidney injury may caused by number of illnesses, but if you’re having difficulty urinating, experiencing swelling in your legs, and feeling very tired, you should get evaluated immediately.
If Acute Kidney Injury is diagnosed and treated early, the damage can be reversed and kidney function can return to previous level of functioning.
Testing for acute kidney injury may include:
- Blood and urine laboratory testing
- Ultrasound
- Biopsy