Chronic Kidney Disease

If you have chronic kidney disease, it means your kidneys aren’t working as well as they should to remove waste and fluid from the body. This also puts added strain on your heart, making it work harder.

Signs and symptoms of kidney disease usually only occur at very late stages of the disease – when there has been a major loss of kidney function or when related problems develop (for example, a buildup of fluid, heart failure, uncontrolled high blood pressure, anemia, high potassium levels).

Signs and symptoms may include:

• High blood pressure that is difficult to treat
• Darker-colored urine
• Frothy or foamy urine
• Not urinating as much
• Swelling in the feet, ankles, legs, or around the eyes
• Shortness of breath (usually when fluid builds up in the lungs and body)
• Loss of appetite, nausea
• Lower back (flank) pain
• Feeling very tired or weak
• Brain fog

Because there are few – if any – early signals of kidney problems, urine and blood tests to check how the kidneys are functioning are important. The results of these tests can also help determine the stage of kidney disease and guide treatment.