Anuria: The Kidney Emergency of Little or No Urine Production
Updated: 2 days ago
Medically reviewed by Dr. Baraa Alnahhal, MD · Last reviewed: September 2026
TL;DR
Anuria is a condition in which the kidneys produce no urine or only a tiny amount — adults with anuria make just 0 to 100 mL per day, compared to the normal 500+ mL (about one pint). It is the most severe form of oliguria and a medical emergency that can be life-threatening, caused by insufficient blood flow to the kidneys, impaired kidney filtering, or a urinary blockage. Treatment must come from a healthcare provider and targets the underlying cause — emergency conditions, dialysis, catheters and stents, or IV fluids — and the outlook improves the faster you are seen.
Quick Answer — What is anuria?
Anuria is the lack of urine production — adults with anuria produce only 0 to 100 mL (3.3 ounces) of urine per day, versus the typical 500+ mL (about one pint).
It is the most severe form of oliguria and a medical emergency: the buildup of wastes and fluids in the body can be fatal.
It happens in three ways: not enough blood or fluid reaches the kidneys, the kidneys cannot filter blood, or a blockage stops urine flow.
Anuria cannot be treated at home; treatment targets the cause — emergency care, dialysis, catheters and stents, or IV fluids — and faster care means a better outlook.
What Is Anuria?
Anuria is a condition in which your kidneys are producing no or a small amount of urine or you aren't peeing because of a blockage. It's the most severe form of oliguria.
Measuring and testing your pee can tell a healthcare provider a lot about your health. In adults, your kidneys typically make more than 500 milliliters (17 ounces) of pee per day — roughly one pint. Children make less pee than adults, and the amount they make depends on their age and size. Adults with anuria make 0 to 100 mL (3.3 ounces) of pee per day.
Anuria is a medical emergency. Contact a healthcare provider immediately if you're not creating as much pee as you should. It's important to get help as quickly as possible.
Is Anuria Serious?
Yes, anuria is serious. It's a medical emergency. Your kidneys are responsible for removing wastes and extra fluid from your body. The buildup of wastes and fluids in your body can be fatal.
Urine-output term | Definition |
Normal adult output | More than 500 mL (17 oz) per day — roughly one pint |
Oliguria | Decreased urine output |
Anuria | Very little or no urine output — 0 to 100 mL (3.3 oz) per day; the most severe form of oliguria |
Polyuria | More pee than expected — nearly more than 3,000 mL (96 oz) or more per day; a common sign of diabetes |
What Are the Symptoms of Anuria?
The most obvious sign of anuria is that you're anuric — you're not peeing enough. You may have other signs and symptoms of conditions that relate to anuria.
For example, kidney disease, liver disease, and heart failure can cause:
Symptom | Description |
Swelling (edema) | Especially in your legs and feet |
Weakness | Generalized fatigue and reduced strength |
Dizziness | Lightheadedness from fluid and waste buildup |
Presyncope | Feeling like you might faint |
Diabetes can also damage your kidneys. Seek immediate care if you can't pee or pee very little and have any of these other symptoms.
What Causes Anuria?
Anuria happens when your kidneys don't have enough blood or fluid. There are three broad categories of causes.
Causes Related to Low Blood or Fluid
Conditions that may affect your blood or fluid levels include:
Cause | Type |
Extreme dehydration | Fluid loss |
Blood loss | Reduced circulating blood volume |
Severe bacterial infection | Infection |
Hypovolemic shock | Circulatory emergency |
Acute heart failure | Heart |
Congestive heart failure | Heart |
Liver failure | Liver |
Causes Related to Kidney Filtering
Anuria can also develop when something affects how well your kidneys filter your blood, such as:
Cause | Type |
Shock | Circulatory collapse |
Infections causing sepsis | Infection |
Medications | NSAIDs, certain antibiotics, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, some chemotherapy drugs |
Chemical intoxication | Breathing in a lot of gasoline, turpentine, or mineral spirits |
Autoimmune diseases | Immune system disorder |
Causes Related to Blockage
Another common anuria cause is when something blocks (obstructs) how pee flows through your urinary system after your kidneys make pee. These causes may include:
Cause | Type |
Bladder outlet obstruction | Obstruction |
Kidney stones | Obstruction |
Enlarged prostate gland (BPH) | Obstruction |
Gynecologic malignancies and lymphoma | Cancer-related obstruction |
Who Does Anuria Affect?
Anyone can get anuria. But you may be more likely to have it if you have acute kidney injury (AKI) — a sudden decrease in kidney function, also called acute kidney failure.
What Are the Complications of Anuria?
Anuria is life-threatening without treating the cause. Untreated anuria can permanently damage your kidneys and lead to death.
What Is the Lowest Kidney Function Before Death?
Healthcare providers use your estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) to determine how well your kidneys work. You have chronic kidney disease (CKD) if your kidneys can't filter out waste and fluid from your blood as expected.
CKD stage | eGFR | Meaning |
Stage 1 | 90 or higher | Kidneys still work well, but there is some kidney damage |
Stage 5 | Less than 15 | Kidneys are very close to failing or don't work at all |
If you're at stage 5, you may die without dialysis or a kidney transplant.
How Is Anuria Diagnosed?
A healthcare provider will review your health history and ask you questions about your symptoms. Questions may include: what fluids have you had to drink today and how much, when was the last time you peed, whether you're peeing less than you'd expect, whether you've had any trouble peeing before, whether you've had any swelling in your legs or feet, whether you've noticed any blood in your pee (hematuria), and whether you've felt very tired (fatigue) lately.
A provider may also order tests to help diagnose anuria and determine the overall health of your kidneys:
Test | Purpose |
Kidney function tests | Blood tests and urine tests (urinalysis) |
Imaging tests | CT scan or MRI |
Kidney biopsy | Tissue examination |
Kidney (renal) scan | Imaging of kidney function |
How Is Anuria Treated?
You can't treat anuria at home. A healthcare provider must treat it. See a healthcare provider as soon as possible if you have decreased urine output.
Anuria treatment depends on the cause. If the cause is heart failure, sepsis, shock, or another emergency medical condition, the first priority for a provider is to treat that condition. If you have severe kidney disease, you may need dialysis to clean your blood or a kidney transplant.
If you have a blockage, a provider may use a catheter to quickly drain pee from your bladder, such as a Foley catheter or a suprapubic catheter. They may also use ureteral stents to open up the tubes in which pee flows from your kidneys into your bladder.
In some cases, your healthcare team may need to get your fluid levels up (rehydrate you). They may give you water to drink or use a needle and tube to give you intravenous (IV) fluids directly into a vein.
Treatment scenario | Approach |
Heart failure, sepsis, shock, or other emergency | Treat the emergency condition first |
Severe kidney disease | Dialysis to clean the blood or a kidney transplant |
Blockage | Foley or suprapubic catheter; ureteral stents to open flow tubes |
Dehydration / low fluids | Rehydrate with water or IV fluids into a vein |
What Are the Stages of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)?
Acute kidney injury has four stages:
AKI stage | Name | What happens |
Stage 1 | Initiation | Kidney function starts to decline, but you may not have any symptoms |
Stage 2 | Oligo-anuria | Kidney dysfunction symptoms start to appear, including peeing less than you expect |
Stage 3 | Polyuria | Kidney function starts to come back, but you may lose a lot of water and the electrolytes sodium and potassium |
Stage 4 | Restitution | Your kidneys start to work as they should again |
Is AKI Stage 3 Serious?
Stage 3 acute kidney injury means your kidney function is slowly improving. But you may lose a lot of water, sodium, and potassium.
Low sodium (hyponatremia) levels may cause muscle cramps, weakness, nausea and vomiting, headache, seizures, and coma. Low potassium (hypokalemia) levels may cause muscle weakness or spasms, tingling and numbness, low blood pressure, paralysis, heart palpitations, and abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmia). Low sodium and potassium levels may also be fatal.
What Can I Expect If I Have Anuria?
It depends on what causes anuria. Some anuria causes are more easily treatable than others. The best action you can take is to see a healthcare provider as soon as possible if you're peeing less than you should. Your outlook is better if a provider can see you quickly.
Outlook factor | Detail |
Depends on | The underlying cause |
Best action | See a provider as soon as possible |
Earlier care means | A better chance of reducing severe damage |
Without treatment | Anuria can permanently damage kidneys and lead to death |
Can Anuria Be Prevented?
Follow your healthcare provider's instructions on how to take care of yourself if you have any long-lasting (chronic) conditions that may cause anuria, like diabetes or heart failure. Their instructions may include what you eat and drink, how much you eat and drink, tracking your weight, recognizing signs of swelling or water retention, and taking medications as prescribed.
It's also a good idea to drink plenty of fluids if you have conditions that may cause dehydration, such as vomiting or diarrhea.
Prevention step | Reason |
Follow provider instructions for chronic conditions | Diabetes and heart failure can cause anuria |
Manage diet and fluid amounts | Diet and fluids directly affect urine output |
Track your weight | Reveals fluid retention early |
Recognize swelling or water retention signs | Early warning of buildup |
Take medications as prescribed | Keeps underlying conditions controlled |
Drink plenty of fluids during vomiting or diarrhea | Prevents dehydration-triggered anuria |
When Should I See a Healthcare Provider?
If you have a condition that affects your kidneys or heart, call a healthcare provider right away if you aren't peeing as much as you usually do, especially if you're drinking more fluids. It's also a good idea to be aware of changes to your pee, like a darker color.
What Questions Should I Ask a Healthcare Provider?
Questions worth asking include: what's causing anuria, how serious is the cause, what tests will be ordered, and what other symptoms you should look out for.
Question | Purpose |
What's causing anuria? | Identify the underlying mechanism |
How serious is the cause? | Gauge urgency |
What tests will you order? | Understand the diagnostic plan |
What other symptoms should I look out for? | Know the warning signs |
Conclusion
Anuria is one of the clearest warning signals your body can send — when urine output drops to nearly zero (0 to 100 mL per day for an adult, versus the normal 500+ mL), the kidneys have stopped doing their essential job of clearing wastes and fluid. Unlike a symptom you can watch and wait on, anuria is a medical emergency: the buildup it signals can be fatal, and untreated cases can permanently damage the kidneys.
The condition arrives through three doors — insufficient blood or fluid reaching the kidneys, impaired filtering from shock, sepsis, medications, chemicals, or autoimmune disease, or a physical blockage from stones, an enlarged prostate, or tumors. Each door has its own treatment path, from emergency stabilization and IV fluids to dialysis, transplant, catheters, and stents. None of them can be opened at home, which is why speed matters: your outlook is directly tied to how quickly a provider can see you and treat the cause.
Take action today: Track your urine habits like you track anything else important to your health. If you are drinking fluids but not peeing as much as usual — or at all — or notice darker urine, swelling in your legs, dizziness, or a feeling that you might faint, contact a healthcare provider right away. Anyone with kidney or heart conditions, and people managing diabetes, should treat any drop in urine output as urgent. Acting fast is the single best thing you can do for your kidneys.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is anuria?
Anuria is a condition in which the kidneys produce no urine or only a tiny amount — adults with anuria make 0 to 100 mL (3.3 ounces) of urine per day, compared to the typical adult output of more than 500 mL (about one pint).
Is anuria the same as oliguria?
No. Oliguria is decreased urine output, while anuria is very little or no urine output. Anuria is the most severe form of oliguria.
Is anuria serious?
Yes — it is a medical emergency that can be life-threatening. The kidneys remove wastes and extra fluid from the body, and the buildup of wastes and fluids can be fatal.
What causes anuria?
Anuria happens when the kidneys don't have enough blood or fluid (dehydration, blood loss, shock, heart or liver failure), when something impairs kidney filtering (sepsis, certain medications like NSAIDs and some antibiotics, ACE inhibitors, ARBs and chemotherapy, chemical intoxication, autoimmune diseases), or when a blockage stops urine flow (kidney stones, enlarged prostate, bladder outlet obstruction, certain cancers).
Can anuria be treated at home?
No. Anuria cannot be treated at home — a healthcare provider must treat it, and treatment depends on the underlying cause.
How is anuria treated?
Treatment depends on the cause: emergency conditions like heart failure, sepsis, or shock are treated first; severe kidney disease may require dialysis or a kidney transplant; blockages are relieved with catheters (Foley or suprapubic) or ureteral stents; and dehydration is treated by rehydrating with water or IV fluids.
What are the stages of acute kidney injury (AKI)?
AKI has four stages: Stage 1 (initiation, function declines with no symptoms), Stage 2 (oligo-anuria, symptoms appear including reduced urination), Stage 3 (polyuria, function returns but sodium and potassium may be lost), and Stage 4 (restitution, kidneys work normally again).
Can anuria be prevented?
You cannot prevent every cause, but you can reduce risk by following your provider's instructions for chronic conditions like diabetes and heart failure, managing diet and fluids, tracking your weight, watching for swelling, taking medications as prescribed, and drinking plenty of fluids during vomiting or diarrhea.
Related Reading
References
Carter CT, Brown A. Genitourinary Emergencies. In: Stone C, Humphries RL, eds. CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment: Emergency Medicine. 8th ed. McGraw-Hill.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.). Urine Output.
Medical Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Anuria is a medical emergency — if you are producing little or no urine, contact a healthcare provider or seek emergency medical care immediately. Do not attempt to treat anuria at home. Only a qualified healthcare provider can diagnose the cause of anuria and provide appropriate treatment.
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