No Kidding—Don’t Ignore Signs of Kidney Trouble

Most people don’t think too much about their kidneys—until there’s a problem. The kidneys play an important role in keeping you healthy by removing waste products from the body and by monitoring the proportions of minerals in your blood. Kidney failure can be life-threatening if fluids and waste products build up in the body.

Main causes of kidney failure (also known as renal failure) include:

• Loss of blood flow to the kidneys, possibly due to an infection
• Antibiotics and pain medications, when used for long periods of time
• Kidney stones, a tumor, or an enlarged prostate, all of which can keep urine from flowing correctly from the kidneys

Oddly, some people have no noticeable symptoms when they have kidney failure. But common acute kidney failure symptoms include:

• Lack of urine
• Swelling of the hands and feet
• Back pain just below the rib cage

Most cases of kidney failure occur in people who are already ill. But people who have a chronic medical condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or a history of heart failure are at increased risk.

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