Organ failure

Organ failure is a condition of the human body in which an important internal organ is unable to perform its necessities as it would if it were still functioning. For example, kidney failure is when the kidneys are unable to filter the body's urine.

Organ failure is often the result of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), where the organ begins to fall ill.

Causes

Failure of a vital organ is not defined to a single cause. Rather, it can be the result of many diseases, such as the aforementioned multiple organ dysfunction system, but it can also be the result of sepsis, an extreme response to an infection which causes inflammatory chemicals to be released into the bloodstream.