December 17, 2020
An estimated 35.5 million U.S. adults have kidney disease. Most don’t know they have it.
“There are a number of physical signs of kidney disease, but sometimes people attribute them to other conditions,” said Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, Chief Medical Officer at the NKF. “Those with kidney disease tend not to experience symptoms until the very late stages, when the kidneys are failing or when there are large amounts of protein in the urine. This is one of the reasons why only 10% of people with chronic kidney disease know that they have it.”
While the only way to know if you have kidney disease is to get tested, there are signs to watch for.
Kidney Disease Risk Factors
If you’re at risk for kidney disease due to high blood pressure, diabetes, a family history of kidney failure, or if you’re older than age 60, it’s important to get tested annually for kidney disease.
Are you at risk of kidney disease? Take this one-minute quiz to find out.
Kidney Disease Testing
Two easy tests help determine if you have kidney disease or not;
- Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): Blood test that estimates how well the kidneys function.
- Urine albumin-creatinine ratio (uACR): Urine test that measures albumin (a protein) and creatinine, a waste product.
1. Less Energy or Trouble Concentrating
A severe decrease in kidney function can lead to a buildup of toxins and impurities in the blood. This can cause people to feel tired or weak and can make it hard to concentrate. Another complication of kidney disease is anemia, which can cause weakness and fatigue.
2. Trouble sleeping
When the kidneys aren't filtering properly, toxins stay in the blood rather than leaving the body through the urine. This can make it difficult to sleep. There is also a link between obesity and chronic kidney disease, and sleep apnea is more common in those with kidney disease, compared with the general population.
3. Dry and itchy skin
Healthy kidneys do many important jobs. They remove wastes and extra fluid from your body, help make red blood cells, keep bones strong, and work to maintain the right amount of minerals in your blood. Dry and itchy skin can be a sign of the mineral and bone disease that often accompanies advanced kidney disease, or when the kidneys are no longer able to keep the right balance of minerals and nutrients in your blood.
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4. Urinating more frequently
If you feel the need to urinate more often, especially at night, this can be a sign of kidney disease. When the kidney's filters are damaged, it can cause an increase in the urge to urinate. Sometimes this can also be a sign of a urinary infection or enlarged prostate in men.
5. Blood in urine
Healthy kidneys typically keep the blood cells in the body when filtering wastes from the blood to create urine, but when the kidney's filters have been damaged, these blood cells can start to "leak" out into the urine. In addition to signaling kidney disease, blood in the urine can be indicative of tumors, kidney stones, or an infection.
6. Foamy urine
Excessive bubbles in the urine – especially those that require you to flush several times before they go away—indicate protein in the urine. This foam may look like the foam you see when scrambling eggs, as the common protein found in urine, albumin, is the same protein that is found in eggs.
7. Persistent puffiness around eyes
Protein in the urine is an early sign that the kidneys’ filters have been damaged, allowing protein to leak into the urine. This puffiness around your eyes can be due to the fact that your kidneys are leaking a large amount of protein in the urine, rather than keeping it in the body.
8. Swollen ankles and feet
Decreased kidney function can lead to sodium (salt) retention, causing swelling in your feet and ankles. Swelling in the lower extremities can also be a sign of heart disease, liver disease and chronic leg vein problems.
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9. Poor appetite
This is a very general symptom, but a buildup of toxins resulting from reduced kidney function can be one of the causes.
Find kidney-friendly nutrition tips and recipes.
10. Muscle cramping
Electrolyte imbalances can result from impaired kidney function. For example, low calcium levels and poorly controlled phosphorus may contribute to muscle cramping.
