Azotaemia refers to an increase in the blood concentrations of '''urea''' and '''creatinine'''. Azotaemia occurs almost exclusively with renal failure that results in an inability to excrete these two metabolic products.
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Azotaemia refers to an increase in the blood concentrations of '''urea''' and '''creatinine'''. Azotaemia occurs almost exclusively with renal failure that results in an inability to excrete these two metabolic products. [[Urea]] and [[Creatinine]] vary in the extent of the increase induced by renal pathologies (creatinine can show substantial increases from baseline, whereas smaller increases in urea are significant as levels generally increase by a much smaller factor) and also the timing of the increase - creatinine levels will rise and fall more quickly than changes in urea and can be more useful in monitoring responses to treatment as a resulyt of this feature.