Recognizing the symptoms of kidney disease can help detecting it early enough to get treatment. Symptoms can include:
Irregular urination — making more or less urine than usual, feeling pressure when urinating, changes in the color of urine, foamy or bubbly urine, or having to get up at night to urinate.
- Swelling of the feet, ankles, hands, or face — fluid the kidneys can’t remove may stay in the tissues.
- Weakness or fatigue — a build-up of wastes or a shortage of red blood cells (anemia) can cause these problems when the kidneys begin to fail.
- Trouble breathing — kidney failure is sometimes confused with asthma or heart failure, because fluid can build up in the lungs.
- Ammonia breath or an ammonia or metal taste in the mouth— waste build-up in the body can cause bad breath, changes in taste, or an aversion to protein foods like meat.
- Flank or back pain — the kidneys are located on either side of the spine in the back.
- Itching — waste build-up in the body can cause severe itching, especially of the legs.
- Appetite loss
- Vomitting and nausea
- More hypoglycemic episodes — if diabetic
If you believe you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor about your concerns. Such is especially crucial if you have a family member suffering from a kidney disease or if you are suffering from either high blood pressure or diabetes- the two main causes of kidney failure.