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Symptoms of Chronic Kidney Failure: A Serious Kidney Problem

8th September, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Kidney failure is an extremely serious kidney problem. It can even be life threatening. At the the very minimum, it may result in a lifetime of kidney dialysis treatments, or a kidney transplant operation.

Symptoms of kidney failure often go undetected in the early stages.

A change in your body chemistry may be the first symptom that kidney failure is in progress as your electrolyte readings become abnormal. Kidney function also begins to deteriorate. Two of the major jobs performed by the kidneys – eliminating excess fluids and filtering out toxins – start to degrade.

Another important function of the kidneys is to aid in the production of red blood cells. As impairment increases, fewer red blood cells are produced.

Even if your kidneys are 80 percent impaired, they can still function and keep you alive. But the longer you wait, the more likely you are to experience these symptoms of kidney failure:

* a sense of lethargy,
* a general feeling of weakness,
* shortness of breath (known as dyspnea to doctors),
* generalized swelling.

Failure to recognize the above symptoms can have serious consequences, including:

A lack of red blood cells – As a result muscles and tissues will get an inadequate supply of oxygen. This leads to weakness and a general feeling of fatigue.

Lack of adeuqate potassium excretion – The heart may also be in danger due to the inability to excrete potassium. Rising potassium levels can lead to fatal heart rhythm problems.

Metabolic acidosis – Your body isn’t making enough bicarbonate, which means there’s an increase in acid levels in your body. When this happens, enzyme and oxygen metabolism is affected, which leads to kidney failure.

Uremia – Urea is a waste produced that results from the digestion of protein. Our kidneys filter it from our blood and it is passed out of the body in urine. When urea levels rise, certain muscle, heart and brain functions may be compromised, leading to the following symptoms of kidney failure:

* lack of interest in food
* constant, sometimes profound fatigue,
* decreased cognitive functioning and an inability to think clearly.

By the time these symptoms begin to appear, the kidneys are severely damaged and coma is a possibility.

At advanced stages of kidney failure, the body cannot cope with rising acid levels, which causes rapid breathing an increase in blood pressure due to excess fluid, possibly leading to congestive heart failure.

Without serious medical intervention at this stage, the patient is unlikely to survive.

If you need more information on topics related to this article, click on Kidney Failure. George McKenzie is a retired TV anchor, medical reporter and radio talk show host. He has a special interest in kidney-related issues, and frequently contributes articles to Kidney Problems, a resource website about kidney health and wellness.