Good to Know: Kidney Disease: Signs and Treatment
What are the early signs of kidney disease?
Your doctor will test for protein in your urine if you have diabetes. If your test shows protein in the urine, your doctor will repeat the test to confirm the results. Additional blood tests and urine tests may be helpful, such as comparing the amount of protein with the amount of another compound, creatinine, in your urine. (Creatinine is a waste product from protein and muscles in the body.)
Protein in the urine also can be an early warning sign of cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) disease or of diabetic retinopathy (eye disease) so your doctor may check your heart and your eyes as well.
What are the other signs of kidney damage?
As kidney disease progresses, waste products remain in the blood, so you may experience fluid retention, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. You also may have anemia, which means you have too few red blood cells.
Your kidneys make a hormone called erythropoietin (eh-RITH-roh-POY-uh-tin) that signals your body to make red blood cells. With kidney disease, you don’t make enough erythropoietin, so you may not have enough red blood cells. Without them, your blood won’t be able to carry enough oxygen to all parts of your …
