8 Early Symptoms Of Kidney Diseases That Are Often Neglected

Troubled kidney illustration (Freepik/ibrandify))

JAKARTA - Kidney disease often did not cause symptoms at first, so many people did not realize that they had it until their kidney condition was severe.

According to experts, healthy kidneys function to filter waste and excess fluids in the body. However, when the function of the kidneys is disturbed, various symptoms can appear.

There are two tests that are easy to find out if you have kidney disease. The first is the Estimated Glomerulus Filtration Rate (eGFR), which is a blood test that estimates how well the kidney function is. The second is the Albumin-Kreatin Urin Ratio (UACR), which is a urine test that measures albumin (protein) and kreatin levels.

While the only way to know if you have kidney disease is to undergo a test, there are some symptoms that need to be considered.

Here are 8 early symptoms that need to be watched out for to detect kidney disease early, as reported by VOI from the National Kidney Foundation page.

A severe decrease in kidney function can cause a buildup of toxins and dirt in the blood. This can make the body feel tired and difficult to concentrate. Anemia, which often accompanies kidney disease, can also cause weak feeling and fatigue.

When the kidneys do not function properly, the poison will remain in the blood instead of being removed through the urine, which can cause sleep to become disrupted. Obesity also has a close relationship with chronic kidney disease, and sleep apnea is more common in people with kidney disease.

Healthy kidneys have many important roles, such as removing waste and excess fluids, helping to form red blood cells, maintaining bone strength, and regulating mineral balance in the blood. Dry and itchy skin can be a sign of mineral and bone diseases that often occur in advanced kidney disease, when the kidneys are no longer able to maintain mineral and nutritional balance in the blood.

If you feel the need to urinate more often, especially at night, this could be a sign of kidney disease. Damage to the kidney filter can lead to an increase in the frequency of urination. Sometimes, this can also indicate urinary tract infection or prostate enlargement in men.

Healthy kidneys usually guard blood cells in the body when filtering waste to make urine. However, if the kidney filter is damaged, these blood cells can be 'corrupted' into the urine. In addition to signaling kidney disease, blood in the urine can also show tumors, kidney stones, or infection.

Excessive amounts of force in urine, especially those that require several watering times to disappear, can indicate the presence of protein in urine. This force can look like foam when rowing eggs.

Protein in urine is an early sign that the kidney filter is damaged, allowing the protein to leak into the urine. Swelling around the eye can occur because your kidneys lose a large amount of protein in the urine.

Reduction in kidney function can lead to sodium retention (garm), which causes swelling in the legs and ankles. Swelling in lower extremities (members of the body's back movement) can be a sign of heart disease, liver disease, or chronic leg blood vessels.