The main causes of complete kidney failure are diabetes, hypertension, glomerulo-nephrits and polycystic disease. Your physician and health care team can explain the cause of your kidney failure to you.
- Diabetes is a metabolic (all the chemical and physical changes that happen in tissues of the body) disease. In diabetes, carbohydrate use is not at normal levels; fats and proteins are used too much because of an insulin-making problem. If not treated or if treated late, this disease can affect other body organs, especially the eyes, kidneys, blood vessels and nerves.
- Hypertension is high blood pressure. If not controlled by medication, it can cause damage to other organs in the body, including the kidneys.
- Glomerulonephritis is a disease which affects both kidneys. It causes inflammatory changes to the blood vessels in the kidneys and, over time, the kidneys become badly damaged and cannot be repaired.
- Polycystic disease results in the presence of many sacs or pouches in both kidneys. Over time these pouches become hard, the kidneys become smaller and, eventually, the kidneys cannot work.
