Everything You Must Know About the Symptoms and Diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease

Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology | May 24, 2025

Health problems can be either short-term or long-term, and every organ in the body has a unique and vital role. The kidneys, in particular, are essential organs responsible for filtering waste and maintaining the body’s fluid and electrolyte balance.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a serious condition where the kidneys gradually lose their ability to function properly. The decline is often slow and subtle, which means symptoms may not appear until significant damage has already occurred.

The primary role of the kidneys is to remove waste and excess fluids from the body, helping to maintain a healthy balance of electrolytes, blood pressure, and other critical functions. As they start to fail, the overall effects are quite damaging. You should know about the signs of chronic kidney disease, as you can miss out on them easily. With the right signs and early diagnosis, you can treat this condition on time.

Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease

Our kidneys are vital organs that are located in the lower back area. Some of the main roles of this organ are to purify blood, eliminate waste, and balance fluids,electrolytes in the body. If you have chronic kidney disease, your kidneys will not function properly. If there is more damage to the organ, it could even lead to kidney failure.

At that stage, people might need dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Common symptoms of chronic kidney disease

One of the most common issues of chronic kidney disease is that it usually does not have symptoms at the beginning. Most people go on living with it for quite long without knowing about these symptoms. Let’s take a closer look at the symptoms.

Being tired all the time

One of the first symptoms that most individuals observe is feeling exceptionally weak and tired. It is not the type of fatigue that comes from being tired after a long day. This is an exhaustion that will not subside with rest. It happens because the kidneys can’t effectively filter waste, and the buildup of toxins in your blood affects your energy levels.

Swelling of the feet, ankles, hands, or face

Normal kidneys filter out excess fluids and salt from the body. But when not functioning normally, fluid begins to accumulate and results in swelling, which is edema. This will tend to manifest on your legs, ankles, feet, and even on the eyes. The shoes may feel tight, or the socks will leave impressions on your legs, or the rings won't fit the way they used to.

Changes in urination

Since kidneys make urine, alterations in the manner in which you are urinating can be a direct indication of kidney problems. These alterations are typically the first to be noticed, and they differ from individual to individual. You may observe:

• Frequent nighttime urination
• Bubbly or foamy urine, indicating protein in the urine
• Dark urine, indicating the presence of blood
• Pale or extremely clear urine
• Pain and burning during urination
• Urine with a strong odour

If you notice any of these changes last for more than a few days, it is important to consult your doctor.

Shortness of breath

There are two reasons why individuals with chronic kidney disease will be out of breath. First, fluid accumulation in the lungs if the kidneys are unable to eliminate it effectively. Second, chronic kidney disease usually causes anaemia, which is where your blood can't transport oxygen. This can make breathing more difficult, especially during exercise or when lying down.

Metallic taste in mouth and bad breath

When there is accumulated waste in your blood, a state which is referred to as uraemia, it can result in a foul taste in your mouth. This can result in bad breath and an altered taste in food. Individuals can also lose their appetite for food and experience nausea upon consumption of food. Some of the typical experiences include food tasting abnormal, bad breath despite proper oral hygiene, and loss of appetite for food you once liked.

Diagnosis of chronic kidney disease

While the experience may be similar to a layperson, kidney cancer is an entirely different disease and a very serious one. It refers to the condition of the kidney cells growing rapidly and uncontrollably in an abnormal manner. This life-threatening disease can be of different types, the most common one being renal cell carcinoma, which is what 90 percent of kidney cancer patients suffer from. Apart from this type, Wilms tumor and transitional cell carcinoma are other types of kidney cancer impacting people. The Wilms tumor impacts children primarily.

Kidney cancer is the presence of a malignant tumor in the kidneys, which causes dull and continuous pain to the patient, which may increase gradually. The pain in this case is felt in the back side, also known as the flank area. However, since the lump cannot be felt by the patient, especially in the early stages, it is commonly mistaken for kidney stones unless proper diagnostics are run.

Blood test (estimated glomerular filtration rate)

This is one of the key tests that are used to test how efficiently your kidneys are purifying your blood. The test counts creatinine, a waste product that is formed naturally by your muscles. Healthy kidneys remove creatinine through urine. If creatinine levels are elevated, then maybe your kidneys are not functioning correctly. From this, doctors will derive the eGFR. This figure indicates how well your kidneys are removing waste. Let us see what eGFR levels mean:

A person who gets kidney cancer will see some common symptoms of the disease, including the following:

• 90 or above – Normal kidney function
• 60–89 – Early-stage chronic kidney disease
• 30–59 – Moderate kidney damage
• 15–29 – Severe decrease in kidney function
• Below 15 – Kidney failure

A low eGFR for three months or longer usually confirms chronic kidney disease.

Urine Test

Your urine can reveal a lot about how your kidneys are doing. Normally kidneys keep important substances like protein in the body and filter out the waste. But if they are damaged, proteins like albumin can leak into urine. A common test measures the albumin to creatinine ratio. A high ACR means too much protein in the urine. Doctors can also test for blood in urine, which can suggest infection, kidney stones, and inflammation.

Imaging Tests

Doctors might want to look at your kidneys using imaging tests. These will help them detect abnormal size or shape of kidneys, tumours, cysts, or kidney stones, and blockages or poor blood flow. The common scan used is renal ultrasound, which is safe and painless. If more detailed images are needed, a CT scan or MRI can be used.

AINU is proud to be one of the youngest hospitals in the country to achieve NABH accreditation. Our facilities combine top amenities along with world-class standards of service. We are present in Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Vizag, and Chennai. We focus on delivering a comprehensive range of medical, surgical, and supportive care services. We strive to provide the best clinical outcomes for our patients by making sure that our qualified and experienced team attends to them with care. If you are facing issues with your renal health, do not hesitate to book a consultation with us.

Final thoughts

Chronic Kidney Disease might not always show obvious symptoms, symptoms to present it indicates more than 50% damage of the kidney has occured,That is why early diagnosis is very important. With all the right tests, doctors can easily identify kidney problems and help you manage them before they become serious. A simple test today can protect you from a life-changing condition tomorrow.