All About Early Stage Kidney Disease

Kidney disease symptoms will present differently at different times in the disease's progression. Use this article to learn what symptoms to watch for, and when to watch for them.

The kidneys are two organs, shaped like beans. They are roughly one inch thick, three inches wide and five inches long. They are located along the spine, below the ribs. There are nephrons inside the kidney, which help to filter out impurities. In addition, there are capillaries inside, where small particles and water are filtered from urine and blood.

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The extra fluids and the waste travel through the tubules, where processes turn the fluid waste into urine. Then this passes through a duct that collects it, and the renal pelvis. The urine is carried into the bladder and then out of the body.

There are various factors that affect the kidneys. They include untreated cysts or kidney stones; a history of diabetes and high blood pressure; drugs that are taken in unsafe quantities.

Early kidney disease symptoms include puffiness around your eyes, swelling in ankles and feet, blood in the urine, back pain, difficulty or burning in urinating, difficulty in concentration and breathing, high blood pressure, nausea and a metallic taste in your mouth.

If you experience one or more of these symptoms, contact your physician so that you can prevent further kidney damage. Your physician may want to run blood tests, which can rule out oddities in kidney functions.

After the earliest kidney disease symptoms, the disease may go into a chronic stage. Kidneys don't just fail, just like that. It is a progression that may take years. If yours is diagnosed early enough, then changes in your lifestyle, along with medications, can slow the disease down or even stop it altogether.

After the diagnosis has been made, the patient may be put on dialysis. This is a treatment that removes materials the body does not need, in patients whose kidneys will not perform that function anymore.

You can help keep your kidneys healthy and prevent kidney disease by drinking plenty of fluids on a daily basis. You should also avoid OTC drugs used for long term, especially acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen. These can damage your kidneys.

You can also modify your diet to lessen the amount of sodium you take in. It's found in salt, and foods high in salt. If you have a diet with high sodium content, you may develop high blood pressure, which can damage the small vessels in your kidneys.

All About Early Stage Kidney Disease

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