AKI known as Acute Kidney Injury usually happens when your kidneys are damaged suddenly. It is a condition in which the kidneys are unable to filter blood waste. It happens as an episode of gradual reduction of the filtering capacity of the kidneys leading to the kidney failure happens very fast, within a few days or a few hours. Several symptoms include vomiting, nausea and the rise in the blood potassium levels results in the paralysis, muscle weakness, and heart arrhythmias. AKI may also increase the risk of developing Chronic Kidney Disease in the children.

Diagnosis of acute kidney injury includes the urine output measurements and serum creatinine levels that serve as the benchmark. There are several drawbacks with these assessments as they do not indicate the specific cause of the renal impairment, so there is a requirement of more specific diagnostic test for AKI as a need of the hour.

Urinary proteins could be used as potential biomarkers for the early diagnosis and evaluation of acute kidney injury but none of the protein biomarkers have enough specificity for clinical performance to support clinical implementation of kidney injury. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy provides an accurate metabolic profile that can help with disease diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment decisions.

Contrary to previous theories, the metabolic changes in AKI are identical for pediatric and neonatal patients, so the differences in metabolite profiles could facilitate the development of a novel method for early identification of AKI patients and improve patient outcomes by encouraging physicians to implement medical treatment earlier.

Regards,

Calvin Parker
Journal of Clinical & Experimental Nephrology