Millions of people are living with kidney disease but, shockingly, up to 90% of those people don’t realise that they are. The reason for this is that several of the signs and symptoms are often ignored or misdiagnosed as another condition.
What makes the diagnosis of kidney disease more complex is how often people will not experience symptoms until they have had the condition for a long time, and the kidneys are already beginning to fail. There are some people who are at a higher risk than others such as people over 60, those with a history of kidney disease in their family, and people with diabetes or high blood pressure.
- Tiredness, fatigue and difficulty with concentration
If your kidneys are not functioning correctly, they will not be cleaning the blood of toxins. This can lead to feelings of tiredness, loss of strength and difficulty concentrating.
- Troubled sleep
Kidneys should be removing toxins from the blood so it can leave the body through your urine. If toxins are still present in your blood you may find it difficult to sleep and could be experiencing related conditions such as sleep apnoea.
- Itchy and dry skin
Kidneys, when functioning, will remove excess fluid and waste substances from the body, maintain bone strength, contribute to the production of red blood cells and manage the minerals in your blood. If the kidneys are not balancing minerals and nutrients, it can lead to dry and itchy skin.
- Frequent need to urinate
If the kidneys are not functioning, you may feel like you need to urinate more than normal, and particularly at night.
- Blood in urine
The kidneys are filters for your blood, i.e. the blood passes through them and the kidneys filter the waste and toxins which leaves the body as urine. If they are not working correctly blood may leak into the urine. If you believe you have or may have kidney disease, contact Springvale Phrenology or visit their website springvalenephrology.com.au, to speak with one of their Specialist Nephrologists.
- Foamy or bubbly urine
If protein is in your urine, this is another sign that the kidneys are not filtering the blood correctly. Protein in the urine will cause foam and bubbles which are difficult to flush away as it is the same as the protein in eggs, albumin.
- Puffy eyes
When protein is leaking out of the body through urine you may notice puffiness around the eyes due to the lack of protein in the body.
- Swollen feet and ankles
Swelling in the feet and ankles may signify sodium retention which occurs when the kidneys are not functioning correctly.
- Reduced appetite
In some cases, the toxins in your system may result in a loss of appetite.
- Muscle cramps
Muscle cramps can be a sign of poor kidney function as there may be an imbalance of electrolytes in your system.
