Uremia
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Uremia is a toxic condition resulting from renal failure, when kidney function is compromised and urea, a waste product normally excreted in the urine, is retained in the blood. Uremia can lead to disturbances in the platelets and hypersomnia, among other effects.
Azotemia is another word that refers to high levels of urea, but is used primarily when the abnormality can be measured chemically but is not yet so severe as to produce symptoms. Uremia takes a long time to develop.
Besides renal failure, the level of urea in the blood can also be increased by:
- increased production of urea in the liver, due to:
- *high protein diet
- *increased protein breakdown (surgery, infection, trauma, cancer)
- *gastrointestinal bleeding
- *drugs (e.g. tetracyclines and corticosteroids)
- decreased elimination of urea, due to:
- *decreased blood flow through kidney (e.g. hypotension, cardiac failure)
- *urinary outflow obstruction
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