While the only sure way to diagnose kidney disease is to perform confirmatory tests, here are some early warning signs of kidney disease.
Kidney damage occurs when the kidneys fail to function properly. Diabetes, old age, family history and hypertension predispose to kidney problems. You may also be surprised to know that kidney disease increases a person’s chances of heart and blood vessel disease. Moreover, polycystic kidney disease is hereditary and leads to large cysts in the kidney and irreversible damage to the surrounding tissues. Another is lupus, which affects your kidneys. Lupus nephritis is known as an autoimmune disease that leads to inflammation (swelling or scarring) of the small blood vessels that allow a person’s kidneys to filter waste. Hence, people with damaged kidneys will progress to kidney failure and eventually need dialysis or an organ transplant.
Millions of people are living with various kidney diseases and most of them are not even aware of it. That’s why kidney disease is often referred to as the ‘silent killer’ because most people don’t notice a difference until the disease progresses. While people regularly check their blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels, they fail to get a simple creatinine test, to detect any undetected kidney problems in their blood. While the only sure way to diagnose kidney disease is to have confirmatory tests done, here are some early warning signs of kidney disease.
How to Know if Your Kidneys Are Damaged – Top Symptoms:
- Fatigue: If you’re still tired after doing nothing, it might be time to talk to a specialist. This sign is alarming and indicates that there is some underlying health problem.
- Poor appetite: If you are unable to eat at all, it indicates a serious problem. Usually, people with kidney disease experience this symptom.
- Swelling of feet and ankles: These are also some common symptoms of kidney disease. Do not ignore these features at any cost.
- Puffy eyes: Yes, yes puffy eyes can mean you have kidney disease.
- Dry, itchy skin: As renal function declines, toxins tend to accumulate in the body leading to itchy, dry and smelly skin.
- Changes in urinary frequency: A person should be very careful about his urine output. For example, urine output may decrease, or you may feel the need to urinate more often, especially at night.
- High blood pressure: High blood pressure can be a presenting sign of kidney disease. Anyone diagnosed with hypertension should have a detailed workup of renal functions and kidney imaging to rule out a renal etiology of hypertension.
(With inputs from Dr. Puneet Bhuvania, Consultant Nephrologist and Kidney Transplant Physician, Wockhardt Hospitals Mira Road)
