Update on Mechanisms of Ischemic Acute Kidney Injury

Acute renal failure (ARF), classically defined as an abrupt decrease in kidney function that leads to accumulation of nitrogenous wastes such as blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, is a common clinical problem with increasing incidence, serious consequences, unsatisfactory therapeutic options, and an enormous financial burden to society (1–5). ARF may be classified as prerenal (functional response of structurally normal kidneys to hypoperfusion), intrinsic renal (involving structural damage to the renal parenchyma), and postrenal (urinary tract obstruction). This review focuses on intrinsic ARF, which has emerged as the most common and serious subtype in hospitalized patients and can be associated…

• AH
  American Heart Association
• NI
  National Institutes of Health