Acute kidney injury as a systemic disease

Acute kidney injury (AKI) affects ∼20% of hospitalized patients and is traditionally viewed as a transient complication of acute illness. Evidence suggests that AKI can initiate long-term renal and cardiovascular disease, even when kidney function appears to recover. Survivors of AKI face increased risks of CKD, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and premature mortality, yet post-AKI care remains poorly defined. We synthesize emerging mechanistic and clinical evidence linking AKI to systemic cardiorenal disease and discuss how biomarkers, imaging, and clinical risk prediction may enable identification of high-risk patients and support translational strategies to prevent progression to chronic disease.