AKI is a syndrome, not a disease. It results from many different primary and/or secondary etiologies and is often multifactorial, especially in the hospitalized patient. This review discusses the pathophysiology of three etiologies that cause AKI, those being kidney hypoperfusion, abdominal compartment syndrome, and urinary tract obstruction. The pathophysiology of these three causes of AKI differs but is overlapping. They all lead to a low urine flow rate and low urine sodium initially. In all three cases, with early recognition and correction of the underlying process, the resulting functional AKI can be rapidly reversed. However, with continued duration and/or increased severity, cell injury occurs within the kidney, resulting in structural AKI and a longer and more severe disease state with increased morbidity and mortality. This is why early recognition and reversal are critical.

AKI 是一种综合征，而不是一种疾病。它是由许多不同的原发性和/或继发性病因引起的，并且通常是多因素的，尤其是住院患者。本综述讨论了导致 AKI 的三种病因的病理生理学，即肾脏灌注不足、腹腔间隔室综合征和尿路梗阻。这三种 AKI 病因的病理生理学各不相同，但又有重叠。它们最初都会导致尿流量低和尿钠低。在所有这三种情况下，通过及早识别和纠正潜在过程，所产生的功能性 AKI 可以迅速逆转。然而，随着持续时间的持续和/或严重程度的增加，肾脏内会发生细胞损伤，导致结构性 AKI 和更长、更严重的疾病状态，并增加发病率和死亡率。