Why does renal failure occur? What are the causes?
A.4: Causes of ARF- At any age the basic mechanisms leading to ARF are: • Prerenal ARF-Due to reduced blood volume as a result of dehydration, shock, hemorrhage, cardiac failure, hypoxia, nephrotic syndrome etc. • Intrinsic renal failure due to acute tubular necrosis which follows prolonged prerenal failure resulting in renal ischemia following acute gastroenteritis commonly. Other causes in bigger children can be acute post streptococcal glomerulonephritis or pyelonephritis, hemolytic uremic syndrome, drugs and toxins causing tubulointerstitial injury, G-6-PD deficiency, malaria, vasculitis, bilateral renal vein thrombosis,uric acid nephropathy, sepsis or hypoxic-ischemic injury(as in asphyxia or renal artery obstruction), acute renal failure on preexisting renal disease like lupus nephritis, IgA nephropathy or membrano proliferative G.N. • Post renal ARF whenever there is obstruction at the level of bladder neck or urethra due to posterior urethral valves, calculi or obstruction in u
