Kidneys are essential organs of the body that should be properly looked after. Kidneys are the pair of organs that are present over the back and present on either side of the spine. Kidneys help in filtering the blood and aids in the removal of toxins from the body. When kidneys suffer from acute kidney disease and you don’t look after them immediately you’ll suffer from chronic kidney disease. Kidney disease occurs when they are unable to filter wastes. Kidney disease can occur due to acute or chronic medical conditions, trauma to the kidneys, severe dehydration, and exposure to environmental and chemical pollutants. There are different symptoms of kidney disease like the reduction of urine, drowsiness, fatigue, nausea, pain, and pressure within the chest, coma, seizures, confusion, shortness of breath and others. The five signs of kidney disease depend on the stages of kidney disease such as:
Fluid retention within the body which ultimately results in swelling of the ankles, feet, and legs leading to kidney failure and stops the elimination of water waste. Swelling can occur in any part of the body but it usually occurs due to the fluid buildup or inflammation. Slight swelling usually goes unnoticed but excess swelling is usually visible which is shown in imaging tests. Swelling can lead to nausea, vomiting, fever, fatigue, dizziness, itching. Flu-like symptoms or pain. Swelling is diagnosed with imaging tests like MRI and CT scan which reveals bone fractures, inflamed muscles/ tissues or blockage in veins or arteries.
Reduced urine output is also one of the leading signs of kidney disease where the body is unable to eliminate excess toxins, urine and fluid build-up within the body which leads to overloading of the kidneys. Blood clots in the vasculature surrounding the kidneys can lead to kidney disease, nerve damage can also cause kidney disease or certain cancers can also cause kidney disease.
Blood in the urine can also be a sign of kidney disease. It indicates that there is some issue in your kidneys or other parts of the body. The blood in urine is termed as hematuria which can either occur due to family history, enlarged prostate, kidney stones or infections. Other serious issues that can cause blood in the urine include polycystic kidney disease, clotting disorders, sickle cell disease, swelling or irritation within the kidneys and kidney/ bladder cancer.
Kidney stones can cause severe kidney disease. It is one of the leading causes of kidney disorders. Kidney stones are clumps of different minerals that form inside the kidney. Small kidney stones might pass out of the body in urine but large kidney stones result in a painful sensation and are unable to release from the body. Kidney stones are more commonly seen in people who don’t drink enough amounts of water, who are obese, who follow a protein-rich diet or have other kidney diseases.
Proteins passing out in urine is considered as the earliest signs leading to kidney disease. Proteins are usually present in the blood and healthy kidneys function effectively to filter fluid and wastes out of the body while leaving behind nutrients like protein in the blood. When the kidney filters become damaged, they release a protein termed as albumin in their urine.
It is essential to treat all the signs of kidney disease immediately and get yourself tested and consult the nephrologist to avoid any chronic medical conditions.