nick cannon and Mariah Carey calls mild kidney failure

nick cannon kidney failure

As Nick Cannon continues to recover from what his wife Mariah Carey calls "mild kidney failure," the future of the America's Got Talent host's health is in question.

What is mild kidney failure?

Normally when this happens, medically, we call it acute kidney injury.

Mariah Carey announced on Twitter Wednesday that her husband, rapper and actor Nick Cannon, is in an Aspen, Colo., hospital  suffering from what she called “mild kidney failure.”

“Please pray for Nick as he’s fighting to recover from a mild kidney failure,” the singer tweeted. 

Dr. Giselle Guerra, assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, isn’t involved with Cannon’s treatment, but said he may have a case of acute kidney failure, also known as acute renal failure.

“Acute kidney failure happens all of sudden, whereas chronic failure happens over time, often as a result of other illnesses like diabetes or high blood pressure,” she said.  Acute kidney failure can range from mild to serious. 

In some cases, any damage done to the kidneys is reversible. In severe cases, the kidneys may stop producing urine. Pain generally occurs only if there are kidney stones or an infection in the kidney, called pyelonephritis, Guerra said.

Mariah Carey recently announced that her husband, "America's Got Talent" host Nick Cannon, is hospitalized in Aspen, Colo., with mild kidney failure. Carey tweeted this morning: "Please pray for Nick as he's fighting to recover from a mild kidney failure.

The kidneys' job is to remove waste and excess fluid via the urine, according to the National Kidney Foundation. 

Acute kidney injury occurs when the kidneys stop functioning properly, thereby allowing fluids, waste and electrolytes to store up in the body, according to the Mayo Clinic.

"We would look at acute kidney injury as that acute serum creatinine being twice what it would normally be.

Depending on the case, treatments for acute kidney injury may include treating the underlying issue that caused the kidney condition in the first place (for example, stopping medication if medication is causing the kidney issue, or re-hydrating a person if he or she is dehydrated), Becker said.

Dialysis is also an option if toxins need to be removed from the blood.

"If it's acute [kidney injury] and people recover, then they should be pretty much back to their normal circumstances once they recover," Becker said.

While there is little information as to what spurred Cannon's kidney condition, Becker speculated that it could have been caused by a general illness that then affected his kidney function, or it could be related to medication he was taking.

Actor Nick Cannon is in the hospital with what his wife, Mariah Carey, says is mild kidney failure.

Although information on Cannon's particular condition is scarce, we got some information on the condition from Dr. Bryan Becker, immediate past president of the National Kidney Foundation.

In the medical community, Becker said via a media rep, there really is no term called "mild kidney failure," but he speculates that Cannon might have been hospitalized for some decrease in kidney function.

Acute kidney failure, according to the Mayo Clinic, refers to the sudden inability of the kidneys to achieve their main purpose: flushing extra fluids, waste material and salts from the blood. When that

Causes of Cannon's condition, Becker added, could include an illness, dehydration, or taking an over-the-counter medication such as Motrin or Advil

ss, it may get better over time.