Kidney Disease Symptoms

Recently Answered

• QWhat are the symptoms of kidney disease?

  3 Answers

  A

  

  A Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answered

  Kidney disease symptoms usually don't appear until the disease has progressed. When children have kidney disease, symptoms may include slow growth, vomiting, back pain, side pain, and high blood pressure.

  Doctors often notice kidney problems in regular check-ups. Low red blood cell count, proteinuria (abnormal protein amounts in urine), or hematuria (blood in the urine) are symptoms of kidney disease in adults and children. Blood and urine tests can help diagnose kidney disease before symptoms that indicate serious help problems begin to appear.

  Some symptoms that may appear at later stages of kidney disease include a change in urination frequency, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, itchy or numb sensations, swelling hands and feet, difficulty concentrating, muscle cramps, and skin darkening.

  See All 3 Answers
• QHow do I tell if I have kidney disease?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A National Kidney Foundation answered

  

  Unfortunately, kidney disease often has no symptoms. When they do show, they include weakness, difficulty with urination, foamy urine, dark urine and puffiness around the face and eyes. Learn more in this video from the National Kidney Foundation.
• QAre cysts on the kidneys serious?

  6 Answers

  A

  

  A Dr. Sangtae Park, MD , Urology, answered on behalf of NorthShore University HealthSystem

  Cysts in the kidneys are commonly detected using ultrasound, CT or MRI. Since 20-30% of adults can have kidney cysts, this is a common and important question to ask.

  Kidney cysts can be classified as class 1, 2, 3 or 4. Radiologists and urologists have determined that the complexity of the cyst can be classified into one of the above categories, and then assigned a risk of it being cancer. Class 1 cysts are simple cysts with zero percent chance of cancer. Class 4 cysts are very complex appearing cysts with approximately 90% chance of cancer. Class 2 and 3 cysts lie somewhere in between, and urologic consultation is recommended to determine your cyst's complexity.

  There are some people with genetic conditions such as adult polycystic kidney disease and others with the childhood onset variant, characterized by dozens of cysts in both kidneys, and also in the liver. These diseases are far more serious and warrant close medical attention.

  See All 6 Answers
• QShould I see my doctor if my eyes are often puffy?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A National Kidney Foundation answered

  If your eyes are consistently swollen, especially in the morning, take note. This has been linked with kidney and heart disease. Because puffy eyes are linked with many other conditions, often kidney disease and heart disease are overlooked, so be sure to ask your doctor if these are possibilities.
• QHow common is kidney disease in adults?

  2 Answers

  A

  

  A Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answered

  Kidney disease is common in the United States. Chronic kidney disease is more common than acute kidney disease. More than 1 in 10 Americans 20 and older are estimated to have chronic kidney disease, which is about 26 million adults in the United States. This number may be even higher because many cases are undiagnosed. Even among the estimated 26 million people, a majority of them are unaware that they have the disease. Kidney disease is the ninth leading cause of death in the United States.

  See All 2 Answers
• QWhat is albuminuria?

  2 Answers

  A

  

  A National Kidney Foundation answered

  Albumin is a protein. Albuminuria is having too much protein in the urine. This is sometimes referred to as microalbuminuria, which indicates a slightly high level of protein in the urine (i.e. excretion of 30 to 300 mg of albumin per 24 hours). Overt proteinuria, or macroalbuminuria, indicates more than 300mg of albumin in the urine per day. Persistent albuminuria means that the kidneys have been damaged and are starting to spill some albumin into the urine.

  See All 2 Answers
• QWhat imaging tests are done to measure kidney function?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A National Kidney Foundation answered

  Together with other tests, imaging tests show how well the kidneys are doing their job of removing wastes and excess fluid from the blood. 

  • Ultrasound: This test uses sound waves to get a picture of the kidney. It may be used to look for abnormalities in size or position of the kidneys or for obstructions such as stones or tumors.
  • Computed tomography (CT) scan: This imaging technique uses contrast dye to picture the kidneys. It may also be used to look for structural abnormalities and the presence of obstructions.
• QWhat urine tests are done to measure kidney function?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A National Kidney Foundation answered

  Some urine tests to measure kidney function require only a couple of tablespoonfuls of urine, while some tests require collection of all urine produced over a 24-hour period. A 24-hour urine test shows how much urine your kidneys produce in one day. The test also can give a more exact measurement of how much protein leaks from the kidney into the urine in one day.
  
  Here are some of the urine tests used to measure kidney function:
  
  Urinalysis: Includes microscopic examination of a urine sample as well as a dipstick test. The dipstick is a chemically treated strip, which is dipped into a urine sample. The strip changes color in the presence of abnormalities such as an excess amount of protein, blood, pus, bacteria and sugar. A urinalysis can help to detect a variety of kidney and urinary tract disorders, including chronic kidney disease, diabetes, bladder infections and kidney stones.
  
  Urine protein: This may be done as part of a urinalysis or by a separate dipstick test, to look for an excess amount of protein in the urine (proteinuria). A positive dipstick test (1+ or greater) should be confirmed using a more specific dipstick test (an albumin-specific dipstick) or by a quantitative measurement, such as albumin-to-creatinine ratio.
  
  Microalbuminuria: This is a more sensitive dipstick test, which can detect a tiny amount of protein called albumin in the urine. People who have an increased risk of developing kidney disease, such as those with diabetes or high blood pressure, should have this test even if their standard dipstick test for proteinuria is negative.
  
  Creatinine clearance: A creatinine clearance test compares the creatinine in a 24-hour sample of urine to the creatinine level in your blood to show what volume of blood the kidneys are filtering out each minute.
• QShould I talk to my doctor about my kidney disease symptoms?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answered

  If you are experiencing symptoms of kidney disease, you should talk to your doctor as soon as you can. By the time someone starts having symptoms of kidney disease, it means that the disease has progressed past the early stages. The symptoms you experience such as a change in urination frequency, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, itchy or numb sensations, swelling hands and feet, difficulty concentrating, muscle cramps, and skin darkening all show that your decreased kidney function is causing serious problems in your body. Kidney disease requires treatment to slow down the disease's progression and to keep the body from shutting down once kidney disease causes kidney failure, so talk to your doctor about your symptoms immediately.

• QWhat are the symptoms of postrenal acute renal failure?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answered

  Since postrenal acute renal failure is usually the result of another condition, symptoms may vary according to the cause of the kidney failure. The symptoms of those other conditions, such as kidney stones or an enlarged prostate, may or may not be noticed before symptoms of postrenal acute renal failure are noticed. Usually, the first symptom of postrenal acute renal failure is fluid retention, which leads to swelling or puffiness in the hands, feet, and legs. Some people will experience a decrease in the amount of urine they produce, or they may stop producing urine altogether, though this isn't the case with everyone. Some people may experience an ache or pain along the sides of their torso, or severe pain in the pelvis, if the bladder is enlarged. As the condition progresses, symptoms may include drowsiness, fatigue, and confusion. Other symptoms may include nausea, dizziness, and in severe cases, seizures.