Millions of people around the world are living with some form of kidney disease without knowing it. Kidney disease is sneaky because most people associate its symptoms with other health conditions; that is why it can lurk in their systems for a long time until the alarm bell starts to ring. Another reason why only 10% of people with chronic kidney disease know that they have it is that symptoms barely show up until the kidneys begin to fail–– you will suddenly experience reduced urine amount, nausea, swollen legs, and feet. Methodically keeping tabs on your overall well-being is the only way to pre-empt further damage on those bean-shaped organs.

Here are 6 kidney disease symptoms that might be right under your nose.

Fatigue The kidney processes vitamin D for strong bones and Erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that produces red blood cells. Oxygen is carried around the body by the red blood cells to have energy–– the more red blood cells, the more energetic the body feels. However, if the kidney is damaged, it fails to produce the appropriate amount of EPO to fully charge the body. Thus, the brain and muscles will get tired before you even know it.

In addition, a hampered blood filtration process causes toxins and impurities in the blood to build up, which can make you feel weak.

Trouble sleeping When you have kidney disease, toxins do not exit your body and will rather build up in your blood, which will give you a hard time to fall asleep. In relation to this, sleep apnea that causes extremely loud snoring are often experienced by people with chronic kidney disease. This is a condition where a person stops breathing in their sleep for a second and creates a loud snort as they resume inhaling air again. So if you missed out on your daily caffeine dose and still cannot sleep, or if someone tells you that you have an ear-piercing snore, get your liver checked right away.

Dry, itchy skin The kidneys are the master filters of the body. It removes the wastes and toxins from the blood and maintains the balance of vitamins and minerals as well. Dry and itchy skin can be your body’s call for help since it is not receiving the right amount of vitamins and minerals it deserves. When you start seeing white flakes on your skin, stay hydrated and consult your doctor.

Bad breath Most of the time, bad breath is associated with poor oral health; and brushing your teeth regularly and chewing mint candies will solve it in an instant. However, uremia, a condition that causes an excessive toxin build-up in the blood, creates a metallic taste in the mouth, causing bad breath.

Shortness of breath There are many health conditions that will make you catch your breath everytime–– asthma, anemia, lung and heart diseases, and more. The kidney disease-related reason why you experience shortness of breath is the excess fluids that the kidneys fail to filter which will go straight to your lungs.

Foamy urine If you notice that every time you take a leak, you flush twice to completely eliminate the bubbles or foam left in the toilet, which is a sign your urine has protein in it. The excessive bubbles in the urine is similar to that of scrambled eggs because albumin, the protein found in the urine, is also found in eggs. Small amounts of protein in the urine is fine, but too much is a kidney disease indicator.

The majority of patients get the wrong end of the stick when early symptoms of kidney diseases show up. It is only when the damage has already been severe before they notice that something much worse is brewing. Having your kidney tested for any complications regularly will help detect kidney diseases early. Go to your doctor and get tested now.

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