Chronic Kidney Symptoms

Chronic kidney disease can be a silent killer. It creeps up on individuals, often making itself known only when the condition is well under way. And it attacks by sabotaging the two vital organs that remove most toxic wastes from the body. Knowing the symptoms of chronic kidney disease can help you recognize this condition and get immediate treatment.

Facts

• The National Kidney Foundation reports that 26 million American adults have chronic kidney disease (CKD), and global officials say that the disease is on its way to becoming an international pandemic. The disease has led to renal failure---requiring the need for transplant or dialysis---among more than one million people worldwide.

Basics

• CKD occurs when you suffer from a gradual and often irreversible loss of kidney function over time, ranging from months to years, and involves damaged kidneys that have a reduced ability to properly process waste. Each kidney also serves other important purposes, including controlling levels of calcium, sodium, phosphorus and potassium in the blood. Among people with CKD, toxins accumulate, nausea and fatigue set in, the body bloats and worrisome complications such as high blood pressure, anemia and nerve damage often result.

  Although various disorders lead to chronic kidney disease, in more than two out of three cases it is a byproduct of diabetes or high blood pressure. As CKD progresses, it can lead to kidney failure, requiring either a transplant or dialysis. The disease's progression is categorized by five stages of increasing severity, with Stage 5 also known as end-stage renal disease.

Symptoms

• Unfortunately, most people don't experience any severe chronic kidney symptoms until the disease is at an advanced stage. The first indication of a potential problem may include an urge to urinate more frequently, especially at night, combined with overall difficulty in sleeping. Muscles may tend to cramp more in the evening. Swollen feet and ankles may indicate that the kidneys are having trouble regulating the amount of water in the body, leading to edema. Puffiness around the eyes, especially in the morning, may also be cause for concern.

  Other symptoms include dry, itchy skin, difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite and a general feeling of fatigue. This is especially common as waste and toxins back up into the system, essentially polluting the body and stripping away energy and vitality. Shortness of breath, dizziness, and cold chills on a regular basis are signs of a potential problem. Other symptoms include breath that smells of ammonia or a metallic taste in the mouth.

Who is at High Risk?

• 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.

How to Reduce Your Risk

• The American Association of Kidney Patients says that following prescribed treatment plans for diabetes and high blood pressure is one of the most effective ways of keeping CKD at bay. Other ways to reduce the risk include limiting your intake of over-the-counter pain medications and drinking plenty of water. Exercise every day, limit your sodium intake and treat urinary-tract infections without delay.