MAA-MEDIcare Kidney charity Fund

There are no symptoms in early kidney failure. Stage I and Stage II kidney failure are usually picked up on screening or routine blood tests. As kidney failure progresses, symptoms may start to appear. Unfortunately these symptoms are usually non-specific. These may include:

1. Feeling tired and lethargic
2. Poor appetite
3. Nausea and/or vomiting
4. Swelling of the face and legs
5. Breathlessness especially on heavy exertion
6. Presence of bloody or foamy urine
7. Looking pale
8. Unexplained high blood pressure

These are the result of water and waste products accumulating in the body, and failure of the body to produce adequate red blood cells due to the lack of erythropoietin production. If unchecked progression of kidney failure will ultimately lead to:

1. Persistent vomiting
2. Severe high blood pressure
3. Breathlessness at rest
4. Altered mental status
5. Coma, and ultimately death