Many people who have chronic kidney disease don't know it because the early signs can be very subtle. It can take many years to go from chronic kidney disease
At any stage of kidney disease, knowledge is power. Knowing the symptoms of kidney disease can help you get the treatment you need at best. If you notice any of following symptoms, see a doctor for blood and urine tests. Remember,many of the symptoms can be caused by other health problems. The only way to know the cause of your symptoms is to see your doctor.
Symptom 1:
Changes in Urination
Kidneys make urine, so when the kidneys are failing, the urine may change. How?
You may have to get up at night to urinate.
Urine may be foamy or bubbly.
You may urinate more often, or in greater amounts than usual, with pale urine.
You may urinate less often, or in smaller amounts than usual, with dark-colored urine.
Your urine may contain blood.
You may feel pressure or have difficulty urinating.
Symptom 2:
Swelling
Failing kidneys don't remove extra fluid, which builds up in your body causing swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, face, and or hands.
Symptom 3:
Fatigue
Healthy kidneys make a hormone called erythropoietin (a-rith'-ro-po'-uh-tin), or EPO, that tells your body to make oxygen-carrying red blood cells. As the kidneys fail, they make less EPO. With fewer red blood cells to carry oxygen, your muscles and brain tire very quickly. This is anemia, and it can be treated.
Symptom 4:
Skin Rash/Itching
Kidneys remove wastes from the bloodstream. When the kidneys fail, the build-up of wastes in your blood can cause severe itching.
Symptom 5:
Metallic Taste in Mouth/Ammonia Breath
A build-up of wastes in the blood (called uremia) can make food taste different and cause bad breath. You may also notice that you stop liking to eat meat, or that you are losing weight because you just don't feel like eating.
Symptom 6:
Nausea and Vomiting
A severe build-up of wastes in the blood (uremia) can also cause nausea and vomiting. Loss of appetite can lead to weight loss.
Symptom 7:
Shortness of Breath
Trouble catching your breath can be related to the kidneys in two ways. First, extra fluid in the body can build up in the lungs. And second, anemia (a shortage of oxygen-carrying red blood cells) can leave your body oxygen-starved and short of breath.
Symptom 8:
Feeling Cold
Anemia can make you feel cold all the time, even in a warm room.
Symptom 9:
Dizziness and Trouble Concentrating
Anemia related to kidney failure means that your brain is not getting enough oxygen. This can lead to memory problems, trouble with concentration, and dizziness.
Symptom 10:
Leg/Flank Pain
The most common causes of CKD do not cause any pain. And, much of the pain that is near the kidneys is not caused by a kidney problem. But some people who have CKD do have pain.
Some people with kidney problems may have pain in the upper back (where the kidneys are) or on the same side as the affected kidney.
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD), which causes large, fluid-filled cysts on the kidneys and sometimes the liver, can cause pain.
Kidney infections and kidney stones can cause severe pain, often in spasms.
Bladder infections can cause burning when you urinate.
People who have medullary sponge kidney say it is painful.
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