What are the symptoms of chronic kidney failure?

The very unfortunate thing about this disease is the fact that you may start to have symptoms only a few months after your kidneys begin to fail. Most people do not have symptoms during the initial stage of the disease. In fact, it has been reported that many patients do not have symptoms for as long as 20 to 30 years or more. Hence some doctors refer this to as the "silent" phase of the disease.

As your kidney function gets worse, you may:

1) urinate less frequently than normal.
2) have eodema i.e. swelling from fluid buildup in your tissues.
3) feel very tired or sleepy.
4) not feel hungry, or may lose weight without reason.
5) feel nauseating i.e. sick to your stomach or vomit.
6) have trouble in having a good night’s sleep.
7) Have headaches and difficulty in concentrating

What causes chronic kidney disease?

Chronic kidney disease is caused by damage to the kidneys due to the following:

1) High blood pressure.

2) High blood sugar (diabetes).

3) Kidney diseases and infections, or a congenital kidney problem you were born with.

4) A narrowed or blocked renal artery which carries blood to the kidneys.

5) An enlarged prostate gland, kidney stones, or a tumor that keeps urine from flowing out of the kidneys.

6) Lead poisoning.

7) Long-term use of medicines that can damage the kidneys. Examples include pain medicines, like acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) and ibuprofen (such as Advil), and certain antibiotics.