The 8 Most Common Symptoms Of Kidney Disease

Taking care of our kidneys is something essential in our day to day. But sometimes we make mistakes: a poor diet, little fluid intake … that’s when small signs that something is wrong may appear. What if we know some of the most obvious symptoms of possible kidney disease?

Here are the 8 most common symptoms of kidney disease. Do not forget that at the slightest suspicion, you should always go to a specialist. Take note for the sake of your health!

8 indicators of kidney disease

As the saying goes, knowledge is power. Listening to our body is essential to maintain good health but, yes, we should not carry any small indication to obsession.

The symptoms of a kidney problem are usually very obvious, so it never hurts to know them to go to our doctor for advice. Here are some of the most common, according to the American Kidney Fund :

1. Changes in urination

It is surely the most obvious symptom of kidney disease. In addition, their indications are usually easily observable. According to experts they are the following:

• We are forced to get up many times at night, with an unusual urgency. Then when we get to the toilet, we don’t make more than a few drops.
• Urine changes color, or it may even come out foamy or bubbly or bloody. In addition to the fact that we urinate more frequently, it is common for it to have a darker tone (like Coca-Cola, due to traces of blood).

2. Tiredness

Sometimes we can feel tired for no apparent reason. We walk a bit, we climb steps and our body already feels exhausted. And even more, it is very possible that when you get home from work, you do not think about anything other than going to bed to sleep.

What is this feeling and lack of energy due to? Medline Plus Magazine tells us that healthy kidneys produce a hormone called erythropoietin, and it is she who is responsible for transporting oxygen to the blood. When there is kidney disease, the production of erythropoietin drops and causes our muscles to wear out, our red blood cells go down and as much oxygen is no longer transported.

3. Swelling

Do your ankles or legs swell regularly? Is it difficult for you to put on your shoes? So, you may have a kidney problem. But be careful, do not associate it immediately, sometimes it is a simple circulation problem. All this could be because the kidneys cannot get rid of the extra fluid that accumulates in our body.

4. Skin rashes and itching

A sudden itching and different from the others, as if it came from the same bone or from the blood itself. It is something very annoying that could be due to our kidneys not removing waste from our blood as they should. They accumulate and these discomforts and itching so uncomfortable appear.

5. Metallic taste in the mouth

Another fact to take into account. It is possible, for example, that food stops having its original flavor, it no longer tastes the same to you and even your breath has a bad smell. You feel a bad taste in your mouth and this makes you lose your appetite, because everything tastes like iron, it may be an effect of kidney disease. In fact, those who suffer from this discomfort often exhibit ammonia-smelling breath.

6. Nausea and malaise

Some people may feel nauseous and generally ill. Although there are many things that can cause us anguish and affect our gastrointestinal health, when this reality is frequent, we will begin to take it into account to go to a doctor as soon as possible. In any case, with these symptoms it would be necessary to rule out whether it is a kidney disease or not. 

7. Feeling cold

Having a lower number of red blood cells, anemia, a feeling of weakness, could make us feel more fragile when faced with changes in temperature, and especially when faced with cold. We feel it more, our hands and our feet are always like frozen. This is usually a very characteristic feeling of vulnerability.

8. Pain on one side of the back or in one leg

Has it ever happened to you? Don’t worry, it is a symptom that can be due to many things. But we will worry in case it is something recurrent, something that accompanies you for several days in a row. Above all, check if it always occurs on the same side.

In conclusion, never ignore the clues that your body gives you. Nor are we going to obsess, but if a pain is constant, if we feel bad on a regular basis, we should not hesitate to go to the doctor to offer us the appropriate treatment in case of kidney disease.