uremia [key], condition resulting from advanced stages of kidney failure in which urea and other nitrogen-containing wastes are found in the blood. Uremia can be caused by NSAIDs (nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs), especially in older patients treated primarily with ibuprofen for arthritis. Some of the early signs of uremia are lethargy, mental depression, loss of appetite, and edema; later symptoms include diarrhea, anemia, convulsions, coma, and a gray-brown coloration. Treatment of uremia, which is directed at the underlying kidney disease, is usually with dialysis and renal transplantation. Treatments with genetically engineered erythropoietin decrease the complication of anemia. See nephritis; nephrosis.
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