Minerva anestesiologica
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Acute kidney injury (AKI) is frequent after cerebral insults, with an incidence close to 10% in both traumatic brain injury (TBI) and cerebrovascular disease. AKI in this context has substantial impact on mortality and neurological outcome. Numerous factors may play a role in the development of AKI after brain injury: intravascular volume depletion, raised-intra-abdominal pressure, rhabdomyolysis or sepsis in TBI; age, ischemic heart disease or arteriosclerotic disease in stroke. ⋯ Indeed, inflammation and immune system activation are core mechanisms for the development of AKI. Last, direct lesions of specific area of the brain might lead to vasomotor changes and AKI. In this work, we reviewed the epidemiology of AKI after brain injury and examine potential mechanisms suggesting a causal relationship between these two entities.