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How Do Know If You Have Kidney Problems

Youve Got Blood In Your Urine

Kidney Disease: What You Should Know | Anjay Rastogi, MD | UCLAMDChat

Although blood in your urine can be caused by a variety of underlying health problems ranging from bladder cancer to kidney stones, its also a common sign of chronic kidney disease. Because damaged kidney filters cant always properly separate blood cells from waste material, these leaked blood cells can wind up in your urine.

What Is Kidney Disease

Your kidneys — bean-shaped organs on either side of your spine — are small, but they have a big job when it comes to your health. They filter extra water and waste from your blood, make urine, and help control your blood pressure. If they are damaged and stop working like they should, you have kidney disease.

Several things increase your chances of getting it:

African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Native Americans are at greater risk than other groups.

Beware Of False Promises

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The FDA urges consumers and patients to talk to their healthcare providers and to follow the advice from federal public health agencies about how to prevent the spread and treatment options for people with COVID-19.

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Kidney Stones Or Nephrolithiasis

Kidney stones are normally made up of hard collections of minerals which form in the renal system. These stones may stay in the kidneys for quite a while. They often become painful when they move out of the kidney into the ureter. The pain is often described as a strong colicky pain, usually felt in the ureter between the kidney and the bladder. Kidney stones can be extremely painful.

Colicky, strong to very strong pain coming in waves, is the most obvious symptoms of kidney stones. The location of the pain and where it spreads to gives clues as to where the stone is currently located in the urinary system. The pain of a kidney stone passing through the urinary system is felt suddenly and severely in the flank and spreads down the groin on the same side. Not all stones cause radiating pain. Some stones may not cause any pain.

Good to know: Pain from kidney stones is often described as excruciating. Kidney pain from kidney stones can come and go. It can occur in bouts lasting between 20 minutes and an hour. People with painful kidney stones often cannot keep still because of the discomfort. They are often pale and sweaty, with a painful, tender abdomen.

Other symptoms of kidney stones include:

  • Nausea

Signs Of Acute Pyelonephritis

10 Symptoms That Should Alert You About Kidney Disease

Acute pyelonephritis is a painful bacterial infection of the kidneys which occurs when bacteria enter the urethra, move into the bladder, travel up the ureters and affect the kidneys. It is usually caused by the bacterium Escherichia coli, but can sometimes be caused by other bacteria.

Acute pyelonephritis is a common kidney problem in females, especially those between the ages of 15 and 29. The condition is rare among males, although it is more common in men over the age of 65 or men with anatomical abnormalities of the urinary tract. It can, however, affect people of any age. Although it is quite uncomfortable, acute pyelonephritis is seldom a cause of long term kidney problems. Some underlying conditions can increase the risk of developing acute pyelonephritis. These include:

  • Urinating painfully or with difficulty
  • Producing no urine
  • Low blood pressure, which can manifest as dizziness and/or faintness

In men and women older than 65, the above-mentioned symptoms may be absent, and additional symptoms may include:

  • Confusion
  • Jumbled speech
  • Hallucinations

Good to know: In babies and toddlers, the only sign of acute pyelonephritis may be a high fever.

For more information, consult this resource on . If you are worried that you or a loved one may have pyelonephritis, you can do a symptom assessment with Ada.

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Signs Of Kidney Problems During Pregnancy

Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia affects only pregnant women after the 20th week of pregnancy and resolves shortly after the baby is delivered. Although it is by origin not a primary kidney problem, it does involve the kidneys. It is characterised by:

  • Hypertension
  • Proteinuria, or protein in the urine

Other symptoms which may appear as part of preeclampsia or as preeclampsia progresses include:

  • Headache that cannot be alleviated with painkillers
  • Edema of hands, arms, face and/or feet
  • Blurred vision, other visual disturbances or blind spots
  • Confusion or disorientation
  • Oliguria of 500ml or less over 24 hours
  • Being unable to feel the baby move as much as previously
  • Shortness of breath, possibly due to pulmonary edema
  • Stroke. This is very rare

Good to know: If a pregnant person suddenly discovers that their watch, bracelets or rings no longer fit their arm or hand, or that their sleeves are suddenly tight, they should seek medical help immediately. Preeclampsia can lead to eclampsia and HELLP Syndrome and is considered a medical emergency.

For more information on, see this resource on .

If you are concerned that you or a loved one may have preeclampsia, eclampsia or HELLP Syndrome, download the Ada app for a free symptom assessment.

Signs You May Have Kidney Disease

More than 37 million American adults are living with kidney disease and most dont know it. There are a number of physical signs of kidney disease, but sometimes people attribute them to other conditions. Also, 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, says Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, Chief Medical Officer at the National Kidney Foundation.

While the only way to know for sure if you have kidney disease is to get tested, Dr. Vassalotti shares 10 possible signs you may have kidney disease. If youre at risk for kidney disease due to high blood pressure, diabetes, a family history of kidney failure or if youre older than age 60, its important to get tested annually for kidney disease. Be sure to mention any symptoms youre experiencing to your healthcare practitioner.

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Fatigue Being Tired All Of The Time

Why this happens:

Healthy kidneys make a hormone called erythropoietin , or EPO, that tells your body to make oxygen-carrying red blood cells. As the kidneys fail, they make less EPO. With fewer red blood cells to carry oxygen, your muscles and brain tire very quickly. This is anemia, and it can be treated.

What patients said:

I was constantly exhausted and didn’t have any pep or anything.

I would sleep a lot. I’d come home from work and get right in that bed.

Food Tastes Like Metal

HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE KIDNEY PROBLEMS [Free dialysis video training]

Why this happens:

A build-up of wastes in the blood can make food taste different and cause bad breath. You may also notice that you stop liking to eat meat, or that you are losing weight because you just don’t feel like eating.

What patients said:

Foul taste in your mouth. Almost like you’re drinking iron.

I don’t have the appetite I had before I started dialysis, I must have lost about 10 pounds.

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Hidden Signs You Have Kidney Problems

We hear a lot about the dangers of breast cancer and rightfully so. But did you know that kidney problems and disease kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined?

According to the National Institutes of Health, well over 660,000 Americans have kidney failure. The primary causes of kidney failure are diabetes and high blood pressure . Kidney failure and other kidney conditions trigger waste buildup in the body, which can turn into more serious problems.

In this article, we are going to go into a bit more detail about the kidneys, including their location and function, as well as 25 hidden signs that you may have kidney problems. To wrap things up, well elucidate on some ways that you can keep your kidneys healthy and to the extent it is possible reverse sustained kidney damage.

Lets do this!

Swollen Hands And Feet

Since the kidneys are responsible for filtering excess water from the body, when they aren’t performing this function properly, that excess fluid can redistribute, particularly in your extremities.

“Swelling of your legs, ankles, and feet may be a sign that the kidney is not removing excess fluids or sodium from the body,” says Poston. “When the kidneys leak too much protein into the urine, swelling may result.”

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Urine Test For Albumin

If you are at risk for kidney disease, your provider may check your urine for albumin.

Albumin is a protein found in your blood. A healthy kidney doesnt let albumin pass into the urine. A damaged kidney lets some albumin pass into the urine. The less albumin in your urine, the better. Having albumin in the urine is called albuminuria.

A health care provider can check for albumin in your urine in two ways:

Dipstick test for albumin. A provider uses a urine sample to look for albumin in your urine. You collect the urine sample in a container in a health care providers office or lab. For the test, a provider places a strip of chemically treated paper, called a dipstick, into the urine. The dipstick changes color if albumin is present in the urine.

Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio . This test measures and compares the amount of albumin with the amount of creatinine in your urine sample. Providers use your UACR to estimate how much albumin would pass into your urine over 24 hours. A urine albumin result of

  • 30 mg/g or less is normal
  • more than 30 mg/g may be a sign of kidney disease

If you have albumin in your urine, your provider may want you to repeat the urine test one or two more times to confirm the results. Talk with your provider about what your specific numbers mean for you.

What Causes Kidney Malfunction

Advanced Kidney Disease

A major culprit of kidney problems is an acidic diet . A brand-new study sheds light on the renal problems that can be caused by a high-acid, meat-rich diet.

The study followed 1,500 people with kidney disease for a period of 14 years. Participants who ate a diet high in meat came very close to experiencing complete kidney failure, while those who ate more fruits and vegetables did not even come close to kidney failure. Researchers estimate that an acidic diet can make it three times more likely for your kidneys to fail.1

Says lead study author Dr. Tanushree Banejee,

Patients with chronic kidney disease may want to pay more attention to diet consumption of acid rich foods to reduce progression to kidney failuredialysis treatmentsmay be avoided by adopting a more healthy diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables.1

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Kidney Failure Urine Color

The color of your urine is a small window into your bodys health. It doesnt tell you much about the state of your kidney function until damage to the kidneys has progressed.

Still, urine color changes may be a warning sign of some issues.

  • Clear or pale yellow.Clear or pale yellow urine indicates youre well hydrated. This is the ideal color in most cases.
  • Dark yellow or amber. You may be dehydrated. Try drinking more water and cutting down on dark sodas, tea, or coffee.
  • Orange. This could be a sign of dehydration, or it might be a sign of bile in your bloodstream. Kidney disease doesnt typically cause this.
  • Pink or red. Urine with a pink tint or a bit of red could have blood in it. It could also be caused by certain foods, like beets or strawberries. A quick urine test can tell the difference.
  • Foamy. Urine with excess bubbles is a sign that it likely has a lot of protein in it. Protein in urine is a sign of kidney disease.

Urine color can raise flags for potential problems. Learn about the common color causes and whats most likely to affect the shade of your pee.

Kidney failure can be the result of several conditions or causes. According to the National Kidney Foundation, the two most common causes are high blood pressure and diabetes.

People who are most at risk usually have one or more of the following.

Signs You Could Be Suffering From Kidney Disease

As far as vital organs go, its safe to say that the average person knows far more about their heart, brain, lungs, or stomach than they do about their kidneys. But knowing exactly what your kidneys do to keep your body healthy and learning which signs and symptoms may indicate that theyre not working as well as they should is often the best way to identify kidney disease in its earliest, most treatable stage.

Situated toward the back of your upper abdominal cavity, your kidneys are primarily responsible for filtering extra water and waste products out of your blood, so it can be excreted from your body through urine.

Although these fist-sized, bean-shaped organs are strong and efficient when theyre healthy, theyre also susceptible to damage particularly when theyre consistently subjected to the effects of uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, or some other condition that impairs kidney function.

If your kidneys sustain too much damage over time, theyre no longer able to filter your blood properly. This chronic and progressive condition, commonly known as chronic kidney disease, affects more than 30 million adults in the United States, many of whom wont even know they have it until its either very advanced or leads to kidney failure.

Although getting tested for kidney disease is the only way to know for sure if you have it, knowing how to recognize its early symptoms may be exactly what prompts you to get tested in the first place.

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Here Are The Most Common Renal Failure Symptoms :

  • Dizziness
  • Skin pale and nail colour
  • Swelling of entire body
  • Thirst, excessive
  • Urination frequency change with a marked change in colour of urine
  • Urine output decreased
  • Weakness

Scary right?

If you are already experiencing all, most, or some of these symptoms, please remember there is something you can for your kidneys no matter what stage of the disease you are in. There are many natural remedies you can take to help restore your lost kidney function.

It is always best to get checked out by a health professional so that you get an accurate diagnosis, assessment, and treatment plan before letting your mind get away from you. These symptoms could easily fall into the picture of numerous other health conditions, so as much as this information is helpful, do not rely too much on Dr. Google for all your health advice. Sorry for getting all 1989 on you, but play it smart and see a professional in person!

I hope you found this renal failure symptoms article of real benefit!

As always I welcome any comments, feedback, questions, and those that just want to say hi please leave your message in the comments section below.

Good day!

Swollen Or Puffy Face

Kidney Failure Symptoms: 10 Signs Most People Will Miss!

Why this happens:

Failing kidneys don’t remove extra fluid, which builds up in your body causing swelling in the face.

What patients said:

My sister, her hair started to fall out, she was losing weight, but her face was really puffy, you know, and everything like that, before she found out what was going on with her.

My checks were always puffy and tight. Sometimes they would even hurt.

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Why Wait Until Your Kidneys Are Diseased

While the study was conducted on people with kidney disease, we could safely extrapolate the recommendations to those who want to avoid kidney disease and achieve optimal kidney function now, especially as we age.

In fact, additional research points to the actuality of physiological changes in the kidneys as we age. The research notes that a progressive reduction of the glomerular filtration rate and renal blood flow are observed in conjunction with aging. The reason for these phenomena is a decrease in the plasma flow in the glomerulus, a bundle of capillaries that partially form the renal corpuscle.2

In addition, the aging kidneys experience other structural changes, such as a loss of renal mass, and decreased responsiveness to stimuli that constrict or dilate blood vessels. The study concludes with a notable summation:

age-related changes in cardiovascular hemodynamics, such as reduced cardiac output and systemic hypertension, are likely to play a role in reducing renal perfusion and filtration. Finally, it is hypothesized that increases in cellular oxidative stress that accompany aging result in endothelial cell dysfunction and changes in vasoactive mediators resulting in increased atherosclerosis, hypertension and glomerulosclerosis.2

Signs Of Nephrotic Syndrome

Nephrotic syndrome is a syndrome that indicates that there is a problem with the kidneys which leads to the person losing substantial amounts of protein via their urine.It can affect people of any age, but is most often the source of kidney problems in toddlers, children and teenagers. A syndrome is a group of symptoms that often occur together and develop as a result of another condition.

In children, this kidney problem is usually caused by a kidney disorder known as minimal change disease. More boys than girls are affected, and most children will experience the condition between the ages of 18 months and four years.

In adults, nephrotic syndrome is often caused by 2 kidney conditions that are associated with e.g. diabetes, autoimmune disorders such as , or infections such as Hepatitis B or C, or . Furthermore, severe is a cause of nephrotic syndrome in pregnant women.

Symptoms of nephrotic syndrome include:

  • Loss of appetite
  • Hypoalbuminemia, low levels of the protein albumin in the blood
  • Albuminuria, high levels of albumin in the urine

Proteinuria and edema are the two most distinctive symptoms of nephrotic disorder. Edema, particularly around the eyes, is one of the first visible signs of nephrotic syndrome.

For more information, consult this resource on . Worried that you may have nephrotic syndrome? Ada is ready to start your symptom assessment.

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