There are a number of known causes of kidney failure but in quite a lot of people the cause is never found. The commonest causes are diabetes, high blood pressure and a painless inflammation of the kidneys called glomerulonephritis.

Kidney failure is the progressive loss of the kidneys’ ability to perform the main function of eliminating excess fluid, electrolytes as well as waste material from the blood. When your kidneys lose their filtering ability, dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes and waste accumulate in your body.

Complete and irreversible kidney failure is sometimes called end-stage renal disease, or ESRD. If your kidneys stop working completely, your body fills with extra water and waste products. This condition is called uremia. Your hands or feet may swell. You will feel tired and weak because your body needs clean blood to function properly.

Untreated uremia may lead to seizures or coma and will ultimately result in death. If your kidneys stop working completely, you will need to undergo dialysis or kidney transplantation.

According to the statistics from the United States Renal Data System in 2007, the primary cause of kidney failure in 2006 is high blood pressure and diabetes.  You can take a look at the following image filed from USRDS.

Primary Cause Of Kidney Failure 2005

Now that we know the leading causes of kidney failure, it should be time for us to do something before it is too late.