Pathology of the urinary system

1) Azotemia can be classified into three types

: 

 

 1. 

Prerenal azotemia

  

          occurs when heart failure, hypovolemia, shock or dehydration causes inadequate blood 

perfusion of the kidneys, i.e. decreased blood filtration because of poor perfusion.  

 

 

 2. 

Renal azotemia / uremia

  

        -  caused by primary renal disease, with failure to filter or excrete toxic wastes; 

        -  e.g. nephritis, nephrosis, amyloidosis, end-stage kidney, etc.. 

 

 3. 

Postrenal azotemia / uremia

 

        -  results from obstruction somewhere in the urinary tract and, thus, inability to eliminate urine; 

        -  e.g. ureteral obstruction by a bladder tumor, rupture of the urinary bladder, urethral calculus; 

        -  bilateral ureteral obstruction causes death from uremia in 3-6 days.