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Diseases » Uremia » Symptoms
 

Symptoms of Uremia

Symptoms of Uremia

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Uremia includes the 12 symptoms listed below:

Research symptoms & diagnosis of Uremia:

Uremia: Complications

Review medical complications possibly associated with Uremia:

Uremia Symptoms: Book Excerpts

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Do I have Uremia?

Wrongly Diagnosed with Uremia?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Uremia includes:

See the full list of 6 alternative diagnoses for Uremia

More about symptoms of Uremia:

More information about symptoms of Uremia and related conditions:

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

Medical Books Online about Uremia

Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Uremia are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Uremia.

Medical Books Excerpts
  • UREMIA
  • "Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs" (2003)
  • UREMIA
  • "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care" (2007)
  • UREMIA
  • "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care" (2007)

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Patient Surveys for Uremia

Symptoms of Uremia: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Uremia.


Acute renal failure: Signs and Symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

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

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005

Chronic renal failure: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

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.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005

Renal failure, acute: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

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.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003

Renal failure, chronic: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

Chronic renal failure produces major changes in all body systems.

Renal and urologic changes

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.

Cardiovascular changes

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.

Respiratory changes

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.

GI changes

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.

Cutaneous changes

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.

Neurologic changes

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.

Endocrine changes

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).

Hematopoietic changes

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 changes

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.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003

Renal Failure, Acute: Renal Failure, Acute - signs & symptoms
(The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult)

Fever, rash (acute interstitial nephritis, acute glomerulonephritis), bloody diarrhea, pallor (hemolytic-uremic syndrome), severe vomiting or diarrhea (prerenal), abdominal pain (obstruction), hemorrhage, shock (acute tubular necrosis), anuria (acute glomerulonephritis, obstruction), polyuria (acute tubular necrosis, acute interstitial nephritis)

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult, 2008

Renal Failure, Chronic: Renal Failure, Chronic - signs & symptoms
(The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult)

  • Malaise
  • Poor appetite
  • Vomiting
  • Bone pain
  • Headache (if hypertensive)
  • Polyuria
  • Polydipsia

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult, 2008

Uremia as a symptom:

For a more detailed analysis of Uremia as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Uremia.

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

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

About signs and symptoms of Uremia:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Uremia. This signs and symptoms information for Uremia has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Uremia signs or Uremia symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Uremia 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 Uremia symptoms.


 » Next page: Diagnostic Tests for Uremia

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