[4][5] Causes of acute kidney failure include low blood pressure, blockage of the urinary tract, certain medications, muscle breakdown, and hemolytic uremic syndrome.

[6] Diagnosis of acute failure is often based on a combination of factors such as decreased urine production or increased serum creatinine.

[3] Diagnosis of chronic failure is based on a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of less than 15 or the need for renal replacement therapy.

[2] In peritoneal dialysis specific fluid is placed into the abdominal cavity and then drained, with this process being repeated multiple times per day.

A recent PCORI-funded study of patients with kidney failure receiving outpatient hemodialysis found similar effectiveness between nonpharmacological and pharmacological treatments for depression.

[1][10] In Canada, the lifetime risk of kidney failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD) was estimated to be 2.66% for men and 1.76% for women.

[citation needed] Acute kidney injury (AKI), previously called acute renal failure (ARF),[12][13] is a rapidly progressive loss of renal function,[14] generally characterized by oliguria (decreased urine production, quantified as less than 400 mL per day in adults,[15] less than 0.5 mL/kg/h in children or less than 1 mL/kg/h in infants); and fluid and electrolyte imbalance.

The acute part of AoCRF may be reversible, and the goal of treatment, as with AKI, is to return the person to baseline kidney function, typically measured by serum creatinine.

Like AKI, AoCRF can be difficult to distinguish from chronic kidney disease if the person has not been monitored by a physician and no baseline (i.e., past) blood work is available for comparison.

[citation needed] Overuse of common drugs such as ibuprofen, and acetaminophen (paracetamol) can also cause chronic kidney failure.

[29] The APOL1 gene has been proposed as a major genetic risk locus for a spectrum of nondiabetic renal failure in individuals of African origin, these include HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN), primary nonmonogenic forms of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, and hypertension affiliated chronic kidney disease not attributed to other etiologies.

Stages 2 and 3 need increasing levels of supportive care from their medical providers to slow and treat their renal dysfunction.

Stage 5 CKD is considered a severe illness and requires some form of renal replacement therapy (dialysis) or kidney transplant whenever feasible.

[citation needed] A normal GFR varies according to many factors, including sex, age, body size and ethnic background.

[33] The National Kidney Foundation offers an easy to use on-line GFR calculator[34] for anyone who is interested in knowing their glomerular filtration rate.

[37] Those with end stage renal failure who undergo haemodialysis have higher risk of spontaneous intra-abdominal bleeding than the general population (21.2%) and non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia (18.1%).

[2] In non-diabetics and people with type 1 diabetes, a low protein diet is found to have a preventive effect on progression of chronic kidney disease.

[40] A high protein diet from either animal or plant sources appears to have negative effects on kidney function at least in the short term.