What is Kidney Failure?
Healthy kidneys function to remove extra water and wastes, help control blood pressure, keep blood and body chemicals in balance, involved in bone growth, tell your body to make red blood cells and help in normal functioning of the body.
Failure happens when kidneys are no longer able to clean toxins and waste products from the blood and are unable to perform functions to their full capacity. This can happen temporarily or over time. Both Kidneys work together as a team and fail as a team, one fully functioning kidney is sufficient to clear all the toxins even if the other fails completely. Any elevation in the toxin level means failure of both and not one kidney.
When it is temporary and reversible with complete recovery it is called Acute Renal Failure (ARF).
When it is permanent and irreversible with no recovery it is called Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
Any abnormality in Function persisting beyond 3 months is not expected to reverse and qualifies as CKD.
