Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common syndrome that causes a rapid decline in glomerular filtration, homeostasis, disruption of fluid volume, and accumulation of nitrogenous wastes that the kidneys are unable to excrete. Acute kidney failure is usually asymptomatic and normally diagnosed when standard laboratory tests show a sudden increase in blood creatinine and urea nitrogen. A patient who develops acute kidney failure will in most cases recover. When the nephron is compromised, it is unable to perform the many functions required of it. Twenty percent of the blood contents are filtered through the glomerular capillaries. Blood contains water and electrolytes, proteins and sugar. The body filters approximately 180 liters of blood per day and the body's entire blood volume is filtered 19 to 25 times in a 24-hour period. Many abnormal kidney functions can occur when the renal system is not functioning sufficiently and include: Acid-base balance may be altered in AKI due to acute tubular necrosis (ATN). This is characterized by the death of the tubular cells that form the tubule that carries urine to the ureters. The ATN is also responsible for changes in urine concentration and waste filtration. Acute renal failure has effects on erythropoietin (EPO). Erythropoietin is a hormone produced in the renal cortex of the kidneys and responsible for the production of red blood cells. Many patients with acute kidney failure suffer from anemia due to a decrease in red blood cells due to lack of this vital hormone. The kidneys are also responsible for the body's fluid balance. This is due to two important factors, the loop of Henle (found in the nephron) and antidiuretic hormone (secreted by the pituitary gland). The two work together... middle of paper ...... in cases of acute kidney failure. Retrieved from www.kidneyatlas.com Brady, H. Singer, G. Acute Kidney Insufficiency (December 1995). The Lancet, 346(8989), 1533. Retrieved October 24, 2011, from ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health Source. Hilton, R. (May 2011). Define acute renal failure. Retrieved from http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2011/05/30/cmaj.081170.full.pdf+htmlKrenitsky, J. (2004, September) Nutrition in renal failure: myths and management charge. Retrieved from http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/clinical/departments/medicine/divisions/digestive-health/nutrition-support-team/nutrition-articles/KrenitskyArticle.pdfNational Kidney Foundation (nd). Dialysis Retrieved from http://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/dialysisinfo.cfmThe Mayo Clinic (nd). Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/kidney-transplant/process.html