World Kidney Day - Symptoms Of Chronic Kidney/Renal Disease

By Niharika Choudhary

Wednesday, March 9, 2016, 18:51 [IST]

Like all other internal organs, kidneys play a major role in keeping us alive.

Did you know that your kidneys filter about 120 to 150 quarts of blood every day? That's too much work isn't it?

Our kidneys regulate the amount of water in the body, channeling the required amount and discarding the rest of it in the form of urine.

Our kidneys are the catalyst of our body that strike a balance between everything inside us to keep our machinery running properly.

They maintain the level of all our body fluids and minerals by filtering the unwanted elements out of our body.

Our kidneys remove all the waste products like urea and creatinine out of our body. Kidneys also produce the most important hormones in our body.

Renal or kidney failure is a condition in which our kidneys stop filtering the waste materials from the blood.

In such a situation, patients with cases of acute kidney failure are put on artificial dialysis. Dialysis is an artificial replacement process of removing waste products and excess water from the blood in cases of acute kidney failure.

Hence, through this article, we would like to steer your attention on some of the symptoms of kidney failure, so that you can keep a check on your near and dear ones.

Any Changes In The Urination Pattern

If you notice that your body's urination pattern has changed, whether there's an increase or decrease in the number of times you visited the washroom to urinate or that you are unable to control the pressure of your urine, see a doctor.

Change in the urination pattern is among the first signs of any kind of a kidney disorder.

Check that the urine is not foamy or bubbly or has blood or is pale or dark in colour.

However, there can be chances of any kind of urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Swelling In Any Body Part

Do not avoid any kind of a swelling in your abdomen or any body part, it could be just the beginning of any kidney disorder.

When the kidneys start to deteriorate, they are unable to filter the excess water and waste from the blood; as a result of which the waste starts accumulating in other parts of the body such as face, legs, ankles, hands, etc.

Fatigue And Shortness Of Breath

Feeling fatigued more often or shortness of breath is a clear sign that your body is getting lesser oxygen than it actually requires.

Since the kidneys have stopped or reduced filtering the waste and water from the body, there might be chances that the water is being accumulated in the lungs.

Shortage of oxygen-carrying red blood cells that is also a result of kidney failure, also account for the lack of oxygen in the blood.

Skin Rash Or Itching

Any kind of prominent rashes or continuous itching or sudden blackening of some portion of the skin needs to be checked quickly.

Since there are chances that the kidneys have stopped functioning, this could be the result of waste accumulation in that particular patch on the body.

Metallic Taste In The Mouth

Well, most of the time people complain about a metallic taste in the mouth, it's mostly because of a bad toothpaste; however, do not take any chances.

This could also be the result of a build-up of wastes in the blood (called uremia) that can make the food to taste different.

This condition might also cause bad breath.

There are chances that you develop a sudden dislike for a certain food by its smell or just stop eating it.