Kidney diseases are one of the main silent killers in Botswana. Due to the high number of diabetics and hypertensive as well as those with HIV/AIDS-related maladies kidney diseases are becoming more prevalent. Currently, the hospital has over 40 patients on peritoneal dialysis. Twenty-one other patients are on haemodialysis in private clinics and hospitals.
1. Changes in Urination
Kidneys make urine, so when the kidneys are failing, the urine may change. You may have to get up at night to urinate, and it may be foamy or bubbly. You may also urinate more often, or in greater amounts than usual, with pale urine or you may urinate less often, or in smaller amounts than usual, with dark-colored urine.
2. Swelling
Failing kidneys don’t remove extra fluid, which builds up in your body causing swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, face, and/or hands.
3. Fatigue
Healthy kidneys make a hormone called erythropoietin , or EPO, that tells your body to make oxygen-carrying red blood cells. As the kidneys fail, they make less EPO. With fewer red blood cells to carry oxygen, your muscles and brain tire very quickly. This is anemia, and it can be treated.
4. Skin Rash/Itching
Kidneys remove wastes from the bloodstream. When the kidneys fail, the build-up of wastes in your blood can cause severe itching.
5: Metallic Taste In Mouth
A build-up of wastes in the blood (called uremia) can make food taste different and cause bad breath. You may also notice that you stop liking to eat meat, or that you are losing weight because you just don’t feel like eating.
6. Nausea And Vomiting
A severe build-up of wastes in the blood (uremia) can also cause nausea and vomiting. Loss of appetite can lead to weight loss.
7. Shortness Of Breath
Trouble catching your breath can be related to the kidneys in two ways. First, extra fluid in the body can build up in the lungs. And second, anemia (a shortage of oxygen-carrying red blood cells) can leave your body oxygen-starved and short of breath.
8. Feeling Cold
Anemia can make you feel cold all the time, even in a warm room.
9. Dizziness And Trouble Concentrating
Anemia related to kidney failure means that your brain is not getting enough oxygen. This can lead to memory problems, trouble with concentration, and dizziness.
10. Leg/Flank Pain
The most common causes of CKD do not cause any pain. And, much of the pain that is near the kidneys is not caused by a kidney problem. But some people who have CKD do have pain. Some people with kidney problems may have pain in the upper back (where the kidneys are) or on the same side as the affected kidney.
