A new study finds acute kidney injury is more common than originally thought among troops who suffered burns while fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Between 23.8 and 29.9 percent of servicemembers evacuated to burn units had acute kidney injury, according to the study.
Acute kidney injury, or AKI, is also called acute kidney failure, and happens when the kidneys abruptly loose their ability to function, according to the Mayo Clinic. AKI can be fatal, but is also treatable.
Lead researcher on the study was Capt. Ian Stewart, MD, USAF with San Antonio Military Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston. He tells EurekaAlert:
The study appears in the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN)
