The Concept of Azotemia and Spinal Cord Injuries

Week 12
Name
Institution
Week 12
Azotemia
Azotemia refers to a condition where kidneys get damaged during an injury or disease. An individual will always be diagnosed with this condition if their kidneys begin to fail and can no longer remove nitrogen waste in the body. A doctor will usually diagnose the disease by conducting a urine and blood test to establish the creatine levels. The test also determines the blood urea nitrogen levels. Azotemia comes in three types, with prerenal being the first type. It occurs when enough fluid fails to flow through the kidneys, creating a high level of urea and serum creatinine. The main cause of the disease is any condition that lowers blood flow to the kidneys, such as heat exposure, burns, long-term bleeding, and vomiting. The doctor will always conduct several tests to test for prerenal azotemia. They include BUN, blood creatinine, urine test to monitor kidney function, urine osmolality, and specific gravity.
The second type is intrinsic azotemia which occurs from disease sepsis or infection. The main cause of the disease is acute tubular necrosis. The tests to detect this type include BUN, whose Cr ratio is less than 20:1, and FeNa, ...