Advanced Kidney Disease Symptoms

Chronic kidney disease is a slow and often irreversible loss of kidney function over time, ranging from months to years. Damaged kidneys have a limited ability to properly process waste.

Night Symptoms

• Most people don't experience any kidney disease symptoms until the illness has progressed. An urge to urinate more frequently, especially at night, often is an early indication of a problem. That is combined with difficulty in sleeping. Muscles cramps may cause discomfort.

Swelling

• Swollen feet and ankles indicate kidneys are having trouble controlling water levels in the body, leading to edema. A puffiness around the eyes, especially upon awakening, is cause for concern.

Other Symptoms

• Other symptoms include dry, itchy skin, lack of concentration, loss of appetite and general fatigue. This is common as waste clogs the system, polluting the body. Shortness of breath, dizziness and cold chills are signs of a problem. Other symptoms include breath that smells of ammonia or a metallic taste in the mouth.

Diagnosis

• If advanced kidney disease symptoms indicate investigation, blood samples will be taken and analyzed for creatinine, a waste product used by muscles and expelled almost exclusively by the kidneys. "The level of these waste products in the blood increases as kidney filtration declines," says the American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

Risk Groups

• People with hypertension, diabetes and a family history of kidney disease are in the highest risk group. The rate of chronic kidney disease is also higher among certain groups, including Native Americans, African-Americans, Pacific Islanders, Hispanics and senior citizens.