Chronic Renal Failure
Chronic renal failure – Chronic renal failure (CRF) is the progressive loss of kidney function. The kidneys attempt to compensate for renal damage by hyperfiltration (excessive straining of the blood) within the remaining functional nephrons (filtering units that consist of a glomerulus and corresponding tubule). Over time, hyperfiltration causes further loss of function. The cause for CRF sometimes can be determined by a detailed medical history, a comprehensive physical examination, and laboratory studies. More often than not, determining the cause of CRF is difficult if not impossible. Even a kidney biopsy may be inconclusive, because all forms of kidney failure eventually progress to diffuse scarring and look the same on kidney biopsy. The most common causes for CRF are diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension.) Kidney disorders, including chronic renal failure, are common in patients who have multiple myeloma (cancer that begins in a type of white blood cell called plasma cells). Several different factors are related to renal disease associated with multiple myeloma. Myeloma cells produce large numbers of proteins in the urine (called proteinuria). These proteins often form deposits in the kidneys (condition called amyloidosis) and cause kidney failure. In addition, multiple myeloma increases the risk for hypercalcemia (high levels of calcium in the blood) and anemia (low levels of red blood cells) and results in high blood levels of uric acid, which also increase the risk for chronic renal failure.
