Signs & Symptoms of Chronic Renal Failure

Chronic Renal Failure, or CRF, affects about 2 out of every 1,000 people in the United States. CRF involves the kidneys, two small organs on either side of the spine, whose job is to process waste, urine and electrolytes from the bloodstream. Preexisting health conditions are often the cause.

Facts

• CRF occurs when the kidneys stop functioning normally, causing waste and water to build up in the body. The disease develops over time, sometimes over several years, and causes the kidneys to shrink and scar. Symptoms of CRF may not be evident until over 70 percent of the kidneys' functions have been lost. CRF continues to get progressively worse, and while the symptoms can be controlled, the disease cannot be cured.

Symptoms

• Two of the early symptoms of CRF are a loss of appetite and weakness. According to the Baylor College of Medicine, further symptoms may include frequent urination, pale and itchy skin that bruises easily, shortness of breath, constant hiccups, twitching muscles, a feeling of pins and needles, or leg cramps. CRF can affect all of the organ systems, including the pulmonary, cardiovascular, neurological and gastrointestinal systems.

Stages

• The Baylor College of Medicine explains that renal failure passes through three stages: acute renal failure, chronic renal failure and end-stage renal failure. When CRF progresses to end-stage renal failure, patients usually have dialysis treatment or undergo a kidney transplant. Although renal failure can be reversible, CRF is typically permanent and does eventually lead to end-stage renal failure.

Causes

• It can be difficult to discover the cause of CRF, but it is most commonly diabetes or hypertension. CRF is also frequently seen in patients with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that begins in plasma cells. Hypercalcemia (high levels of calcium) and anemia (low red blood cells) are also risk factors for developing CRF.

Treatment

• The goals of CRF treatment are to slow the decline of the kidneys by controlling the symptoms of the disease. Medication may be prescribed to control hypertension or other existing conditions like diabetes. Patients might need to restrict their protein and salt intake to make things easier on the kidneys. Dialysis is a treatment method that filters the blood through an artificial kidney machine, which does the work that the kidneys are no longer able to do. Finally, a kidney transplant from a living or deceased donor can also prolong the life of a person with CRF by five years or more.