Also called: Renal disease
Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of your fists. They are located near the middle of your back, just below the rib cage. Inside each kidney about a million tiny structures called nephons filter blood. They remove waste products and extra water, which become urine. The urine flows through tubes called ureters to your Bladder, which stores the urine until you go to the bathroom.
Damage to the nephrons results in kidney disease. This damage may leave kidneys unable to remove wastes. Usually the damage occurs slowly over years. There are no obvious symptoms, so you don't know it is happening.
Many things can cause kidney disease. You are at risk if you have
* Diabetes
* High blood pressure
* A close family member with kidney disease
Your doctor can run tests to find out if you have kidney disease. If your kidneys fail completely, a kidney transplant or dialysis can replace the work your kidneys normally do.
Symptoms of Kidney Diseas
If you or someone you know has one or more of the following symptoms of kidney disease, or you are worried about kidney problems, see a doctor for blood and urine tests. Remember, many of the symptoms can be due to reasons other than kidney disease.
Symptom 1: Changes in Urination
Kidneys make urine, so when the kidneys are failing, the urine may change. 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 that tells your body to make oxygen-carrying red blood cells. As the kidneys fail, they make less erythropoietin. With fewer red blood cells to carry oxygen, your muscles and brain become tired very quickly. This condition is called Anemia, and it can be treated.
Symptom 4: Skin Rash/Itching
Kidneys remove wastes from the bloodstream. When the kidneys fail, the buildup of wastes in your blood can cause severe itching.
Symptom 5: Metallic Taste in Mouth/Ammonia Breath
A buildup 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 buildup 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 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
Some people with kidney problems may have pain in the back or side related to the affected kidney. Polycystic kidney disease, which causes large, fluid-filled cysts on the kidneys and sometimes the Liver, can cause pain.
Additional Resources and Information:
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
National Kidney Disease Education Program
National Kidney Foundation
