Chronic Kidney Disease - Common Symptoms & Risk Factors You Should Know!
Chronic kidney disease is also commonly known as chronic kidney failure. It is defined as the gradual loss of the functioning of your kidneys. If it reaches an advanced stage, then dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes and wastes might build up in your body.
How would you know if you are suffering from chronic kidney disease or not? A few common symptoms can help you know.
Symptoms of chronic kidney disease include:
-
Swelling around eyes and swelling of your legs
-
Vomiting, especially in the morning and after you eat something
-
Strange odor in your breath
-
Pain in the bones
-
Changes in skin colour
-
Mental cloudiness
-
Numbness in your hands and feet
- Itching
- Unexplained weight loss
-
Loss of muscle mass
-
Frequent muscle twitching and cramps
-
Blood in your stools
-
Excessive thirst
-
Insomnia or other sleeping problems
What are risk factors of chronic kidney disease?
The various risk factors that can increase your chances of chronic kidney diseases are:
-
Diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia (excess fat proteins in the blood)
-
Family history heritable renal disease
-
Older age
-
Autoimmune disease
-
Past episodes of acute renal disease
-
Abnormal kidney structure
By knowing the symptoms and risk factors of chronic kidney disease, you can stop your condition from worsening and follow some preventive measures like quitting smoking, keeping your weight under check etc.