Renal Failure Warnings

Renal failure, or kidney failure, is the kidneys' inability to perform their functions at a normal level, or at all. Renal failure can be sudden, or acute, or ongoing, or chronic. Kidney failure is a concern because your kidneys act as a filtration system for your body. Kidney failure means that your kidneys are not eliminating excess fluids, salts and general waste products from your body, allowing them to build up instead and eventually reach unsafe levels.

First Symptoms

• The first symptoms of renal failure can be so subtle that they go unnoticed. Because a reduction in kidney function causes toxins to build up in the body, some of the initial symptoms are nausea and vomiting and loss of appetite, often brought about by the slight bloating early sufferers experience. Some other very early warning signs include fatigue, weakness and difficulty sleeping, all of which are brought on by the buildup of toxins in the body. Early renal failure sufferers may also experience tight, itchy skin and a general sense of difficulty concentrating -- which may show up as "trouble at school" in children.

Later Symptoms

• If kidney function continues to worsen unchecked, the symptoms become more serious. If you're suffering from renal failure, you could experience weight gain from the excess fluids that are not being filtered out of your body, as well as swollen feet and ankles and a general feeling of puffiness around the eyes. Anemia, or low red blood cell count, can occur at this point, which only exacerbates the fatigue that can show up as an early symptom. Nausea and vomiting develop or continue, and you may even be diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Risk Factors

• While anyone can experience renal failure at any point in life, there are some risk factors that are associated with an increased risk of developing kidney disease. If you have diabetes, you are at an increased risk of developing renal failure. A family history of kidney disease also puts you at an increased risk for renal failure, as does high blood pressure and belonging to a population group known to have a higher-than-average rate of diabetes and high blood pressure, such as African-Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Hispanics and Native Americans.

Causes

• There are many potential causes of renal failure. Some of the more common causes include: autoimmune kidney disease like acute nephritic syndrome or interstitial nephritis, blood loss or decreased blood flow which can result from burns, dehydration, hemorrhage, traumatic injury, serious illness or surgical complications; extremely high blood pressure, kidney infections, pregnancy complications such as placental abruption or placenta previa and obstructions of the urinary tract.