Table 3.

Causes of acute kidney injury.

Category	Abnormality	Possible causes
Prerenal	Hypovolaemia	Haemorrhage Volume depletion Renal fluid loss (over-diuresis) Third space (burns, peritonitis, muscle trauma)
	Impaired cardiac function	Congestive heart failure Acute myocardial infarction Massive pulmonary embolism
	Systemic vasodilatation	Anti-hypertensive medications Gram negative bacteraemia Cirrhosis Anaphylaxis
	Increased vascular resistance	Anaesthesia Surgery Hepatorenal syndrome NSAID medications Drugs that cause renal vasoconstriction (i.e. cyclosporine)
Instrinsic	Tubular	Renal ischaemia (shock, complications of surgery, haemorrhage, trauma, bacteraemia, pancreatitis, pregnancy) Nephrotoxic drugs (antibiotics, antineoplastic drugs, contrast media, organic solvents, anaesthetic drugs, heavy metals) Endogenous toxins (myoglobin, haemoglobin, uric acid)
	Glomerular	Acute post-infectious glomerulonephritis Lupus nephritis IgA glomerulonephritis Infective endocarditis Goodpasture syndrome Wegener disease
	Interstitium	Infections (bacterial, viral) Medications (antibiotics, diuretics, NSAIDs, and many more drugs)
	Vascular	Large vessels (bilateral renal artery stenosis, bilateral renal vein thrombosis) Small vessels (vasculitis, malignant hypertension, atherosclerotic or thrombotic emboli, haemolytic uraemic syndrome, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura)
Postrenal	Extrarenal obstruction	Prostate hypertrophy Improperly placed catheter Bladder, prostate or cervical cancer Retroperitoneal fibrosis
	Intrarenal obstruction	Nephrolithiasis Blood clots Papillary necrosis

NSAID=non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug