Symptoms and Complications
Chronic renal failure can be present for many years before you notice any symptoms. If your doctor suspects that you may be likely to develop renal failure, he or she will probably catch it early by conducting regular blood and urine tests. If regular monitoring isn't done, the symptoms may not be detected until the kidneys have already been damaged. Some of the symptoms - such as fatigue - may have been present for some time, but can come on so gradually that they aren't noticed or attributed to kidney failure.
Some signs of chronic renal failure are more obvious than others. These are:
- increased urination, especially at night
- decreased urination
- blood in the urine (not a common symptom of chronic renal failure)
- urine that is cloudy or tea-colored
Other symptoms aren't as obvious, but are a direct result of the kidneys' inability to eliminate waste and excess fluid from the body:
- puffy eyes, hands, and feet (called edema)
- high blood pressure
- fatigue
- shortness of breath
- loss of appetite
- nausea and vomiting (this is a common symptom)
- thirst
- bad taste in the mouth or bad breath
- weight loss
- generalized, persistent itchy skin
- muscle twitching or cramping
- a yellowish-brown tint to the skin
As the kidney failure gets worse and the toxins continue to build up in the body, seizures and mental confusion can result.
Being diagnosed with chronic renal failure can be very frightening. The future of the condition, however, depends on the medical problem that caused the kidney failure, how much kidney damage has occurred, and what, if any, complications are present.
Some of these complications may include:
- anemia
- high blood pressure (hypertension)
- increased risk of bleeding
- increased risk of infection
- fluid overload (called edema)
- dehydration
- electrolyte abnormalities (e.g., hyperkalemia, high levels of potassium in the blood)
- mineral abnormalities (e.g., hypercalcemia (high levels of calcium in the blood) or hyperphosphatemia (high levels of phosphorus in the blood))
- brittle bones
- malnutrition
- seizures