Symptoms of Having Acute Renal Failure

Acute renal failure has some very obvious and pronounced symptoms when it gets into that stage. Chances are, when someone has developed acute renal failure, they have had chronic kidney disease for a number of years. Chronic kidney disease is very quiet until it gets into those last stages when renal failure can be quite sudden. Kidney infections that are not treated right away can also lead right into acute renal failure.

One of the main symptoms of acute renal failure is that the urine output is suddenly very little. It may be as little as a teaspoon daily, is all. This is obviously a very serious symptom.

People that are having some major kidney failure problems also have a lot of swelling in all of their extremities. Their hands and feet may be twice the size of normal and they will also probably have an odor of urea about them. Urea is what your kidneys are supposed to wash out of your blood, and when these two bean-shaped organs quit, then urea comes out through the skin actually.

Vomiting, nausea, and lack of appetite also will occur. These symptoms stand to reason since the kidneys are not working, they are not going to wash out any of the toxins in the blood as they are supposed to. Your potassium becomes stored to dangerously high levels, along with extra calcium, phosphates, and anything else that is supposed to be cleaned out by the kidneys.

Your heart rate will also change. This is due to the fact that since potassium has not been washed out of the blood, when it piles up more and more, it causes this effect in the body. Potassium is made to control your heart and fluid balances. When it is not being processed correctly by the kidneys, this is where fluid builds up, along with potassium levels which go out of sight.

There is also a lot of flank pain with acute kidney failure on each side. With the kidneys suddenly not performing, they are quite agitated, and will produce pains all through the backside.

As acute renal failure continues, it will cause mental confusion, anxiety, and trouble sleeping. With no urine being released through the body, along with toxins piling up, you can see where this has a neurological effect on the brain itself.

Anyone that has suddenly stopped urinating to begin with, needs immediate help. Letting this symptom go for too many hours can actually lead to death.