How To Spot Symptoms Of Kidney Failure? Understand Its Timeline and Treatment

Cases of chronic kidney disease are increasing day by day and that needs to be taken as a warning sign. Experts believe that this is majorly because of unhealthy lifestyle and lack of awareness regarding kidney diseases. Many people don’t know that one-sided back pain is a warning sign of kidney diseases. They ignore it and the disease gradually develops causing severe complications later. According to Dr. Sujit Chatterjee, CEO, Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, kidney disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity, disability and mortality all around the globe. Therefore, it has become extremely important for people to take kidney health seriously. In this article, we will talk about stages of kidney failure and symptoms to look out for.

End-stage Renal Disorder is a stage in which your kidneys are severely damaged and no longer able to carry vital functions. Surprisingly, one in ten people are affected by ESRD. This is the final stage of chronic kidney disease where your kidneys need support to perform its functions. The only possible treatment in this care is a kidney transplant. However, it is not easy to find a matching donor because of lack of awareness regarding organ transplantation especially in India.

How To Spot Symptoms Of Kidney Failure?

As mentioned earlier, one-sided back pain is the initial warning sign of kidney disease. However, symptoms develop as the disease progresses towards kidney failure. A person may experience symptoms like:

• Drowsiness
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Problem in urination
• Headache
• Unexplained and sudden weight loss
• Dry and itchy skin
• Bone and joint pain
• Easy bruising after injury

If you experience some of these symptoms, you must consult a kidney specialist. Chronic kidney disease that aggravates kidney failure can be diagnosed with urine tests, blood tests, kidney biopsy, ultrasound and CT scan. Timeline of kidney failure is critical and the quicker you act, it is possible to prevent kidneys from failing. You should take every sign and symptom seriously to diagnose kidney disease(s) timely. Also, receiving the right treatment is very important to improve the quality of life of the person.

What happens during Kidney Failure?

Kidneys perform the function of body detoxification. These are responsible for eliminating waste in the form of urine. When kidneys malfunction, the waste is not eliminated from the body which causes toxicity and an increase in the blood pressure. This puts extra pressure on your kidneys and they enter the kidney failure phase. Kidney damage over time can be life-threatening as kidney failure can cause multiple organ failure.

Also Read: Watch Out For These 7 Common Habits That May Be Damaging Your Kidneys

Treatment for kidney failure

The only way to save the life of the patient of kidney failure is transplantation. However, if the failure is at the initial level or only one of the kidneys is failing, doctors may also recommend dialysis. The person is supposed to go for dialysis once or multiple times a week depending upon the kidney’s condition. Their blood is filtered through a dialysis machine to eliminate toxins from the body.

The last option is a kidney transplant wherein the patient receives a healthy kidney from a donor that is surgically placed in place of the failed kidney. This is a one-time surgery but the patient needs to take maximum care as they are prone to infections.

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