Uremia

Abstract Uremia refers to high levels of urea in the blood, which usually occur during renal failure due to the inability of the kidneys to excrete urea in the urine. Renal failure leads to the patient having constitutional symptoms, nausea, tremors, and encephalopathy. Extracellular fluid overload from sodium retention, in association with increased cardiac demand from anemia, leads to these patients being prone to congestive heart failure. Prolonged severe uremia can lead to pericarditis and pleural effusion, as well as uremia-induced platelet dysfunction and malnutrition. Treatment involves providing supportive care, maintaining renal perfusion by fluid resuscitation or vasopressors, avoiding nephrotoxic agents, and eventually hemodialysis, if all other means fail.