Acute Kidney Injury is a serious condition where the kidneys suddenly lose their ability to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood which happens suddenly in a short period of time usually over hours to days. When the kidneys are not working properly, harmful toxins and waste products and excess fluid can build up in the body. This leads to health issues like swelling, high blood pressure, and problem with breathing.

Chronic kidney disease often referred to as chronic renal failure (CRF) often represents the long-term and irreversible deterioration of kidney functions, resulting in an inability to filter waste, fluids, and excess electrolytes from the bloodstream, leading to a build-up of toxins; acid and excess fluid in the body.

A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure to replace a diseased or damaged kidney with a healthy one from a donor. It's a treatment option for individuals with end-stage renal disease, offering a chance to improve quality of life and potentially extend lifespan compared to dialysis.

Hypertension and diabetes are major contributors to chronic kidney disease (CKD), with diabetic nephropathy being a primary cause of CKD, particularly in individuals with diabetes. High blood glucose levels from diabetes can damage the kidneys' blood vessels, leading to impaired function and potentially causing hypertension. Hypertension, in turn, can further exacerbate kidney damage by increasing pressure within the filtering system.

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection that can occur anywhere in the urinary system, including the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. UTIs are typically caused by bacteria, with E. coli being the most common culprit. Symptoms often include painful or burning urination, increased frequency of urination, and a feeling of needing to urinate urgently, even with an empty bladder.

Renal Stone Disease (also known as nephrolithiasis or kidney stones) is a condition where hard deposits made of minerals and salts form inside the kidneys. It’s a common urological condition that can cause significant pain and complications if not managed properly.

Hemodialysis is a medical procedure that uses a machine to filter waste and excess fluids from the blood when a person's kidneys are not functioning properly. It's a life-saving treatment for advanced kidney failure, helping patients maintain an active life despite kidney dysfunction.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a type of dialysis that uses the lining of your abdomen, called the peritoneum, to filter your blood. It removes waste products and excess fluid from your body when your kidneys are not working properly. A surgeon places a catheter into your abdomen, and through this tube, a cleansing fluid called dialysate is introduced. The dialysate absorbs waste and excess fluid from your blood, and is then drained out of your body.

A permacath, also known as a tunneled dialysis catheter, is a long-term access device used for hemodialysis in patients with kidney failure. It's a flexible plastic tube inserted into a large vein, usually in the neck or groin, and tunneled under the skin to exit in a different location. This tunneling helps prevent infection and keeps the catheter secure.

Renal Stone Disease (also known as nephrolithiasis or kidney stones) is a condition where hard deposits made of minerals and salts form inside the kidneys. It’s a common urological condition that can cause significant pain and complications if not managed properly.

Critical Care Nephrology is a subspecialty of nephrology that focuses on the management of acute kidney injury (AKI) and other kidney-related issues in critically ill patients, usually in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This field integrates principles of nephrology, intensive care, and sometimes dialysis technology to support patients whose kidneys are acutely failing in the context of severe illness.

Fluid and electrolyte disorders refer to imbalances in the body's fluid levels or in the concentrations of electrolytes—such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, bicarbonate, and phosphate. These imbalances can disrupt normal body functions and may become life-threatening if not corrected.

Nephrotic and nephritic syndromes are two types of kidney diseases that affect the glomeruli, the filtering units of the kidneys. Nephrotic syndrome is characterized by massive proteinuria (excess protein in the urine) and usually presents with edema and normal blood pressure. Nephritic syndrome, on the other hand, is characterized by hematuria (blood in the urine), hypertension, and moderate glomerular damage. While both involve glomerular damage, they differ in the type of material lost in the urine and the presence or absence of inflammation.

A kidney biopsy is a medical procedure in which a small piece of kidney tissue is removed for examination under a microscope. It's usually done to diagnose kidney conditions, determine the severity of kidney disease, or guide treatment decisions.

Pregnancy-related kidney disorders are medical conditions that affect the kidneys during pregnancy. These disorders can either be pre-existing renal diseases that become more apparent or worsened during pregnancy, or they can be pregnancy-specific kidney conditions that arise due to the physiological changes and complications of pregnancy.