Kidney failure is a very grave disease which manifests itself with poor blood filter in the kidneys. This means that they will stop functioning and they will not filter and this way there will be no accumulation of residues in the body and this can turn out to be really fatal. There are around 2 million nephrons in the kidneys and they filter 3-4 liters of blood every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is why their function is really important. They are one of the main organs that keep your body healthy due to their ability to clean the blood but also maintain an ideal balance of salts and minerals in the body.
Therefore, when we are taking about your health, it means that you need to know what is good for the body and what is not. Thus, we will present you with the symptoms of acute renal failure so that you are aware of them. If you notice some of these, you need to immediately contact your doctor.
8 Symptoms of Acute Kidney Failure
1. Low Back Pain
The kidneys are located close to the upper part of the back of the body. Actually, this is where the frequent pain of acute renal failure happens. This means that something is indeed wrong with your kidneys.
2. Metal Taste in the Mouth
When your body has some excess waste, it will change the way you taste your food. What this means is that the kidneys are not filtering well all the body fluids. Thus, they will leave a metallic taste in the mouth.
3. Shortness of Breath
If the blood is not pure due to the malfunctioning of the kidneys then the count of the blood cells is low. When this happens, the oxygen levels lower and this leads to shortness of breath.
4. Fatigue
Erythropoietin or EPO is a type of a hormone that the kidneys produce and this hormone controls the secretion of red blood cells, thus, if they stop working then this hormone will be affected. This will in turn cause fatigue and loss of energy. Hence, if you are feeling dizzy and tired through the day, you will notice a change in the texture of the urine. This means that you need to visit the doctor.
5. Rashes
If your body accumulates residues, you can notice by the texture and color of the skin. You will also get an itching sensation, rashes and unhealthy skin. This might indicate that you are suffering from renal failure.
6. Pattern/Urinary Cycle
Your kidneys health can be detected easily by the color, texture and difficult or ease of the way you urinate. These symptoms are the main ones that will indicate this condition:
- Usual need to urinate at night
- Foamy urine
- Uncommon gain and small amounts of urine
- Dark or pale urine
- Need to exert extra pressure to urinate
- Trouble urinating
7. Swelling/ Inflammation
This is one of the most common symptoms of this condition. If you are experiencing this it means that your blood is not purified and waste is being accumulated. Fluid retention can actually generate swelling in both of your legs and feet and this will easily indicate that your kidneys are not functioning well.
8. Less Concentration, Nausea and Dizziness
Anemia usually manifests itself with trouble concentrating, malfunction of the kidneys and diminishing of the blood supply to the brain. Thus, this will make concentrating very difficult. Those people who have acute kidney failure deal with nausea, lightheadedness, and the trouble of remembering things.
Furthermore, acute renal failure can be also complicated by other illnesses and the symptoms might go unnoticed. Usually, when you think that you suffer from something, you need to do some tests. What can happen if you have this condition is reduced urine volume (less than 500 milliliters), increased blood urea and creatinine, and high electrolytes like potassium.
Also, from time to time you should do an abdominal ultrasound and a renal biopsy to discover the causes of acute renal failure. The faster you discover the disease, the faster you will restore the renal failure.
Although it is a more common disease in those who are already hospitalized, such as those in intensive care, it is usually secondary to complicated surgeries, generalized infections or as a result of serious injury or when the blood flow from the kidneys is interrupted.
There are also other factors that can cause this disease, for instance: advanced age, chronic infection, diabetes, hypertension, immunological disorders, renal and hepatic base problems, prostatic hypertrophy and bladder obstruction.
It is obvious that kidney function is a very important part of your body. Thus, if you feel like you are experiencing some of these symptoms, you need to take care of yourselves and contact your doctor immediately.