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The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Kidney disease includes the 2 symptoms listed below:
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The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Kidney disease includes:
See the full list of 4 alternative diagnoses for Kidney disease
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Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Kidney disease are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Kidney disease.
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
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16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Kidney disease.
Oliguria, azotemia, anuria, electrolyte imbalances, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, stomatitis, uremic breath, headache, drowsiness, irritability, confusion, neuropathy, seizures, coma, pruritus, pallor, heart failure, edema
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Kidney cancer produces a classic clinical triad (hematuria, pain, and a palpable mass), but any one may be the first sign of cancer. Microscopic or gross hematuria (which may be intermittent) suggests that the cancer has spread to the renal pelvis. Constant abdominal or flank pain may be dull or, if the cancer causes bleeding or blood clots, acute and colicky. The mass is generally smooth, firm, and nontender. All three signs coexist in only about 10% of patients.
Other signs include fever (perhaps from hemorrhage or necrosis), hypertension (from compression of the renal artery with renal parenchymal ischemia), rapidly progressing hypercalcemia (possibly from ectopic parathyroid hormone production by the tumor), and urine retention. Weight loss, edema in the legs, nausea, and vomiting signal advanced disease.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Symptoms usually appear only as a result of complications and are seldom present before adulthood. Complications include formation of calcium oxylate stones, which lodge in the dilated cystic collecting ducts or pass through a ureter, and infection secondary to dilation of the ducts. These complications, which occur in about 30% of patients, are likely to produce severe colic, hematuria, lower urinary tract infection ([UTI]; burning on urination, urgency, frequency), and pyelonephritis. Secondary impairment of renal function from obstruction and infection occurs in only about 10% of patients.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
The neonate with infantile polycystic disease often has pronounced epicanthal folds, a pointed nose, a small chin, and floppy, low-set ears (Potter facies). At birth, he has huge bilateral masses on the flanks that are symmetrical, tense, and can’t be transilluminated. He characteristically shows signs of respiratory distress and heart failure. Eventually, he develops uremia and renal failure. Accompanying hepatic fibrosis may cause portal hypertension and bleeding varices to develop, requiring sclerotherapy or portacaval shunting.
Adult polycystic kidney disease is commonly asymptomatic through the patient’s 40s, but may induce nonspecific symptoms, such as hypertension, polyuria, and recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). Later, the patient develops overt symptoms related to the enlarging kidney mass, such as lumbar pain, widening girth, and swollen or tender abdomen. Abdominal pain is usually worsened by exertion and relieved by lying down. In advanced stages, this disease may cause recurrent hematuria, life-threatening retroperitoneal bleeding resulting from cyst rupture, proteinuria, and colicky abdominal pain from the ureteral passage of clots or calculi. Generally, about 10 years after symptoms appear, progressive compression of kidney structures by the enlarging mass produces renal failure and uremia. Hypertension is found in about 20% to 30% of children and up to 75% of adults due to intrarenal ischemia, which activates the renin-angiotensin system.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Chronic renal failure produces major changes in all body systems:
❑ Renal and urologic: Initially, salt-wasting and consequent hyponatremia produce hypotension, dry mouth, loss of skin turgor, listlessness, fatigue, and nausea; later, somnolence and confusion develop. As the number of functioning nephrons decreases, so does the kidneys’capacity to excrete sodium, resulting in salt retention and overload. Accumulation of potassium causes muscle irritability, then muscle weakness as the potassium level continues to rise. Fluid overload and metabolic acidosis also occur. Urinary output decreases; urine is very dilute and contains casts and crystals.
❑ Cardiovascular: Renal failure leads to hypertension, arrhythmias (including life-threatening ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation), cardiomyopathy, uremic pericarditis, pericardial effusion with possible cardiac tamponade, heart failure, and periorbital and peripheral edema.
❑ Respiratory: Pulmonary changes include reduced pulmonary macrophage activity with increased susceptibility to infection, pulmonary edema, pleuritic pain, pleural friction rub and effusions, crackles, thick sputum, uremic pleuritis and uremic lung (or uremic pneumonitis), dyspnea due to heart failure, and Kussmaul’s respirations as a result of acidosis.
❑ GI: Inflammation and ulceration of GI mucosa cause stomatitis, gum ulceration and bleeding and, possibly, parotitis, esophagitis, gastritis, duodenal ulcers, lesions on the small and large bowel, uremic colitis, pancreatitis, and proctitis. Other GI symptoms include a metallic taste in the mouth, uremic fetor (ammonia smell to breath), anorexia, nausea, and vomiting.
❑ Cutaneous: Typically, the skin is pallid, yellowish bronze, dry, and scaly. Other cutaneous symptoms include severe itching; purpura; ecchymoses; petechiae; uremic frost (most often in critically ill or terminal patients); thin, brittle fingernails with characteristic lines; and dry, brittle hair that may change color and fall out easily.
❑ Neurologic: Restless leg syndrome, one of the first signs of peripheral neuropathy, causes pain, burning, and itching in the legs and feet, which may be relieved by voluntarily shaking, moving, or rocking them. Eventually, this condition progresses to paresthesia and motor nerve dysfunction (usually bilateral footdrop) unless dialysis is initiated. Other signs and symptoms include muscle cramping and twitching, shortened memory and attention span, apathy, drowsiness, irritability, confusion, coma, and seizures. EEG changes indicate metabolic encephalopathy.
❑ Endocrine: Common endocrine abnormalities include stunted growth patterns in children (even with elevated growth hormone levels), infertility and decreased libido in both sexes, amenorrhea and cessation of menses in females, and impotence, decreased sperm production, and testicular atrophy in males. Increased aldosterone secretion (related to increased renin production) and impaired carbohydrate metabolism (increased blood glucose levels similar to diabetes mellitus) may also occur.
❑ Hematopoietic: Anemia, decreased red blood cell (RBC) survival time, blood loss from dialysis and GI bleeding, mild thrombocytopenia, and platelet defects occur. Other problems include increased bleeding and clotting disorders, demonstrated by purpura, hemorrhage from body orifices, easy bruising, ecchymoses, and petechiae.
❑ Skeletal: Calcium-phosphorus imbalance and consequent parathyroid hormone imbalances cause muscle and bone pain, skeletal demineralization, pathologic fractures, and calcifications in the brain, eyes, gums, joints, myocardium, and blood vessels. Arterial calcification may produce coronary artery disease. In children, renal osteodystrophy (renal rickets) may develop.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Kidney cancer produces a classic triad of signs and symptoms — hematuria, pain, and a palpable mass — but any one may be the first indication of cancer. Microscopic or gross hematuria (which may be intermittent) suggests that the cancer has spread to the renal pelvis.
Constant abdominal or flank pain may be dull or, if the cancer causes bleeding or blood clots, acute and colicky. The mass is generally smooth, firm, and nontender. All three signs of kidney cancer coexist in only about 10% of patients.
Other signs and symptoms include fever (perhaps from hemorrhage or necrosis), hypertension (from compression of the renal artery with renal parenchymal ischemia), rapidly progressing hypercalcemia (possibly from ectopic parathyroid hormone production by the tumor), and urine retention. Weight loss, edema in the legs, nausea, and vomiting are signs and symptoms of advanced kidney cancer.
CLINICAL TIP: Bone pain or fracture from a metastatic lesion may also be a chief complaint.
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Clinical features vary with the form of disease.
The neonate with infantile polycystic disease may have pronounced epicanthal folds, a pointed nose, a small chin, and floppy, low-set ears (Potter facies). Signs of respiratory distress and heart failure may be evident. Eventually, he develops uremia and renal failure. Accompanying hepatic fibrosis may cause the development of portal hypertension and bleeding varices.
Adult polycystic kidney disease is commonly asymptomatic while the patient is in his thirties and forties but may induce nonspecific signs and symptoms, such as hypertension, polyuria, and urinary tract infection. Later, the patient develops overt signs and symptoms related to the enlarging kidney mass, such as lumbar pain, widening girth, and a swollen or tender abdomen. Such abdominal pain is usually worsened by exertion and relieved by lying down.
In advanced stages, this disease may cause recurrent hematuria, life-threatening retroperitoneal bleeding resulting from a ruptured cyst, proteinuria, and colicky abdominal pain from the ureteral passage of clots or calculi. Generally, about 10 years after symptoms appear, progressive compression of kidney structures by the enlarging mass produces renal failure and uremia.
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Acute renal failure is a critical illness. Its early signs are oliguria, azotemia and, rarely, anuria. Electrolyte imbalances, metabolic acidosis, and other severe effects follow as the patient becomes increasingly uremic and renal dysfunction disrupts other body systems:
❑ GI — anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, stomatitis, bleeding, hematemesis, dry mucous membranes, uremic breath
❑ central nervous system (CNS) — headache, drowsiness, irritability, confusion, peripheral neuropathy, seizures, coma
❑ cutaneous — dryness, pruritus, pallor, purpura; rarely, uremic frost
❑ cardiovascular — early in the disease, hypotension; later, hypertension, arrhythmias, fluid overload, heart failure, systemic edema, anemia, altered clotting mechanisms
❑ respiratory — Kussmaul’s respirations, pulmonary edema.
Fever and chills indicate infection, a common complication.
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Chronic renal failure produces major changes in all body systems.
Initially, salt-wasting and consequent hyponatremia produce hypotension, dry mouth, loss of skin turgor, listlessness, fatigue, and nausea. Later, somnolence and confusion develop.
As the number of functioning neph-rons decreases, so does the kidneys’ capacity to excrete sodium, resulting in sodium retention and overload. Accumulation of potassium causes muscle irritability and then muscle weakness as the potassium level continues to rise.
Fluid overload and metabolic acidosis also occur. Urine output decreases; urine is very dilute and contains casts and crystals.
Renal failure leads to hypertension and arrhythmias, including life-threatening ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. Other effects include cardiomyopathy, uremic pericarditis, pericardial effusion (and possibly cardiac tamponade), heart failure, and peripheral edema.
Pulmonary changes include reduced pulmonary macrophage activity with increased susceptibility to infection, pulmonary edema, pleuritic pain, pleural friction rub and effusions, uremic pleuritis, and uremic lung (or uremic pneumonitis). Dyspnea from heart failure also occurs, as do Kussmaul’s respirations as a result of acidosis.
Inflammation and ulceration of GI mucosa cause stomatitis, gum ulceration and bleeding and, possibly, parotitis, esophagitis, gastritis, duodenal ulcers, lesions on the small and large bowel, uremic colitis, pancreatitis, and proctitis. Other GI signs and symptoms include a metallic taste in the mouth, uremic fetor (ammonia smell to breath), anorexia, nausea, and vomiting.
Typically, the skin is pallid, yellowish bronze, dry, and scaly. Other cutaneous signs and symptoms include severe itching; purpura; ecchymoses; petechiae; uremic frost (most common in critically ill or terminal patients); thin, brittle fingernails with characteristic lines; and dry, brittle hair that may change color and fall out easily.
Restless leg syndrome, one of the first symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, causes pain, burning, and itching in the legs and feet, which may be relieved by voluntarily shaking, moving, or rocking them. Eventually, this condition progresses to paresthesia and motor nerve dysfunction (usually bilateral footdrop) unless dialysis is initiated.
Other signs and symptoms include muscle cramping and twitching, shortened memory and attention span, apathy, drowsiness, irritability, confusion, coma, and seizures. EEG changes indicate metabolic encephalopathy.
Common endocrine abnormalities include stunted growth in children (even with elevated growth hormone levels), infertility and decreased libido in both sexes, amenorrhea and cessation of menses in women, and impotence and decreased sperm production in men. Other changes include increased aldosterone secretion (related to increased renin production) and impaired carbohydrate metabolism (causing increased blood glucose levels similar to those found with diabetes mellitus).
Anemia, decreased red blood cell (RBC) survival time, blood loss from dialysis and GI bleeding, mild thrombocytopenia, and platelet defects occur. Other problems include increased bleeding and clotting disorders, demonstrated by purpura, hemorrhage from body orifices, easy bruising, ecchymoses, and petechiae.
Calcium-phosphorus imbalance and consequent parathyroid hormone imbalances cause muscle and bone pain, skeletal demineralization, pathologic fractures, and calcifications in the brain, eyes, gums, joints, myocardium, and blood vessels. Arterial calcification may produce coronary artery disease. In children, renal osteodystrophy (renal rickets) may develop.
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Kidney disease. This signs and symptoms information for Kidney disease has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Kidney disease signs or Kidney disease symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Kidney disease may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Kidney disease symptoms.
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