Kidney Disease: Concerning Signs and Symptoms to Look Out For

Health relies heavily on how we take care of our body–that’s no secret. When it comes to taking care of our kidneys, it’s up to us to give the care it deserves. This includes keeping healthy lifestyles and habits as well as being aware of kidney disease symptoms.

However, it’s also important that we become mindful of some tell-tale signs that concern your kidneys’ state of health. This way, you’ll easily know if it’s time to seek the care of your doctor.

It is also important to stress out that gaining enough knowledge about the health of our kidneys is one way of raising awareness when it comes to getting proper care and treatment.

Here are some kidney disease symptoms and signs that may be related to your kidneys’ health.

Fatigue

Our kidneys are responsible for producing a hormone called erythropoietin which signals the body to bring in oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Without these, it’s easy to have fainting and fatigue spells that could be anemia and other kidney-caused diseases.

Chills

Feeling cold or having episodes of chills are also tell-tale signs of anemia. Like fatigue, it is caused by the low production of the said hormone from your kidneys.

Swelling

If you start noticing abnormal swelling on your hands, feet, or face, that could be a sign of a kidney-related case. Failing kidneys stop the normal process of removing extra fluids in the organ which is a reason why swelling occurs.

Nausea and vomiting

These episodes are commonly caused by a build-up of wastes in the blood through the kidneys. In turn, it can lead to loss of appetite and eventually, weight-loss.

Abnormal urine

Kidneys are responsible for our urine, therefore, experiencing urine problems and abnormalities are common giveaways of possible kidney-related diseases. If you experience urine discoloration or have foamy or bubbly urine, then, it’s time to have it checked with your doctor.

Ammonia Breath

Just like nausea and vomiting, a build-up of wastes may be causing you to have bad ammonia breath. If your breath weirdly smells like blood, that could be a sign of a kidney-related illness. Also, this usually happens when a person experiences a metal-like taste to the food they eat.

Shortness of breath

If you easily experience trouble in breathing despite having little effort being exerted, it should already be a cause for concern. While this can mean any number of things, it can be caused by your kidneys, too. Possibly, it can either be because of anemia or build-up of fluids going up into the lungs.

Just in case…

Since medical cases are often foreign to non-medically-inclined individuals, it’s very important that the first thing you do is seek professional help, especially if you have any kidney disease symptoms that concern you. By knowing what you are experiencing, a medical professional is the best person to care and treat an illness, and hopefully restore your body back to its healthy state.

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