9 Signs of Kidney Trouble

Kidney disease is often present silently and does not display any symptoms which bother, which is why most adults suffering from kidney disease are not aware of it.

Also, a few tend to experience symptoms until the kidney disease reaches the later stages.

If the kidneys are not functioning properly, it leads to toxin build-up and impurities in the blood. This will cause the individual to feel tired and weak and make it hard to concentrate.

Healthy kidney makes hormone erythropoietin which tells the body to make oxygen-carrying red blood cells. As the kidney fails there is a drop in red blood cells which carry oxygen to muscles and brain, which makes you feel fatigued.

Anemia is another complication of kidney disease which can cause weakness and fatigue.

Due to the improper functioning of the kidney, the toxins stay in the blood rather than leaving the body through the urine. This can bring in difficulty in sleeping.

A study showed that sleep disorders were more prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease^{(1, 2)}

Pruritis or dry and itchy skin is a distressing symptom in patients suffering from kidney disease⁽³⁾

Healthy kidneys perform numerous important functions in the body. It helps remove extra fluid from the body, help make red blood cells, keep the bones strong and also work to maintain the right minerals in the body.

Dry and an itchy skin cab be a sign of mineral and bone disease accompanying kidney trouble, as the kidneys are not able to keep the right balance of minerals and nutrients in the blood.

Along with being a sign of urinary infection and enlarged prostate, frequent urination could also signal kidney disease. It happens due to damaged kidney filters which cause an increase in the urge to urinate.

Urine is formed in the kidney, which when fail might lead to a change in the color.

The color of the urine would be different if you urinate less often or in smaller quantities or if there is blood in the urine.

Foamy or bubbly urine is a sign of protein in the urine.

If having foamy urine look out for other symptoms such as swelling in hands, face, and feet, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, trouble sleeping, cloudy urine. It might be a pointer to kidney trouble cropping up.

It happens as a damaged kidney is not able to filter the protein and allow it to leak into the urine.

Kidney trouble can cause the feet and the ankle to get swelled up. Decreased kidney function can lead to sodium retention causing swelling in the feet and ankles.

Check out for the other signs of kidney trouble to reach a diagnosis, as heart disease, liver disease, and chronic leg vein problem can also cause swelling in the lower extremities.

Poor appetite and gastrointestinal symptoms are very common amongst the patients of kidney trouble.

This is a very common symptom which results from reduced kidney function and toxin build-up. The patient may experience nausea and anorexia which leads to loss of desire to eat⁽⁴⁾

Also as there is a build-up of toxin in the blood the food may taste different and there would be bad breath. This can be another reason for poor appetite as the food doesn’t taste good so the patient does not feel like eating.

Due to improper kidney function, there would be electrolyte imbalance. This leads to low calcium levels and poorly controlled phosphorus, which may contribute to muscle cramping.

Consult a doctor if the above signs show up as there could be other possible causes related to the condition. A doctor can efficiently diagnose the condition and recommend a treatment.

Those at risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, or if kidney disease runs in the family it is important to get tested and resolve the issue.