Chronic kidney disease (CKD) doesn’t cause problems in early stages. As it progresses, it can cause a number of symptoms. These may include:

  • Feeling weak or tired
  • Trouble sleeping— insomnia
  • Swelling of feet and ankles—edema
  • Lack of hunger
  • Increase in urine output, especially at night
  • Muscle cramping at night
  • Nausea
  • Itching
  • Breathing problems
  • Taste of metal in your mouth
  • Chest pain
  • Confusion
  • Hiccups
  • Irritability
  • Problems concentrating
  • Lower sex drive
  • Menstrual problems
  • Numbness and tingling in hands and feet— peripheral neuropathy
REFERENCES:

About chronic kidney disease. National Kidney Foundation website. Available at: https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/about-chronic-kidney-disease. Updated February 15, 2017. Accessed June 19, 2018.

Chronic kidney disease. Merck Manual Professional Version website. Available at: https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/genitourinary-disorders/chronic-kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease. Updated March 2017. Accessed June 19, 2018.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD). Family Doctor—American Academy of Family Physicians website. Available at: https://familydoctor.org/condition/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd. Updated August 9, 2017. Accessed June 19, 2018.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults. EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at:http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T115336/Chronic-kidney-disease-CKD-in-adults. Updated May 14, 2018. Accessed June 19, 2018.

What is chronic kidney disease? National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases website. Available at: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd/what-is-chronic-kidney-disease. Updated June 2017. Accessed June 19, 2018.

Last reviewed May 2018 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Adrienne Carmack, MD