Name: 8 STRANGE Signs Your Kidneys Are Crying for Help
Uploaded: 2025-02-11T14:16:37.000Z
Duration: 11 min 45 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Kidney diseases have become one of the fastest growing causes of death in the world and the sad part is that 90% of people don't even know that they are suffering from them.

In this video we will cover eight signs that something is going wrong with your kidneys and that they need help.

At the end we'll show you a few simple ways to take good care of your kidneys.

The kidneys located at the two sides of our lower back are our body's filters.

Your kidneys also remove the excess uric acid and maintain a healthy balance of minerals like calcium, sodium, and phosphorus in the body.

Because of the kidneys, your blood pressure remains normal.

Not just this, kidneys also make blood and keep our hemoglobin levels in check.

Vitamin D, which we take from sunlight or food, has no use unless it is activated by the kidneys.

So, when such an important organ as the kidneys is not functioning properly, all these functions are affected.

But the problem is that in the initial stages of kidney malfunction, hardly any symptoms go up.

Until it is diagnosed that the kidneys are not working properly, 80% of kidney damage has already been done.

But don't worry, if you stay a little proactive, you can easily find out at an early stage that something is going wrong with your kidneys.

Foamy or bloody urine The most reliable of all symptoms that can almost immediately indicate that kidneys are not working properly show up in the form of changes in urine.

An average person passes urine 6 to 10 times a day.

But if your urine passing frequency has suddenly decreased or increased, especially if you have to wake up many times during the night to pee, then this could be alarming.

Some people might feel the urge to pass urine, but when they go to the washroom, they hardly pee.

This unsatisfactory urination is a sign that there may be a kidney stone that has now traveled to the ureter.

Blood in urine, also known as hematuria, can be a sign of kidney infections, tumors, kidney stones, or kidney failure.

When the kidneys are not functioning properly, blood can get in the urine to turn brown, red, or purple.

Women might ignore this symptom and associate it with a late period.

Discolored urine with bubbles or white foam can indicate a vast amount of protein in the urine.

Protein should remain in the blood, but because the holes of the kidney filters have widened, it begins to move out through urine.

This protein leak in the urine is an early sign of kidney disease and hence should not be neglected.

This foam looks much like the foam you see when making scrambling eggs, as it is actually albumin, the same protein found in eggs.

Kidneys make urine, so when the kidneys are not functioning properly, changes in urine are frequent.

Kidneys filter all the toxins in our bodies, so when they're not functioning properly, a lot of impurities can form in our blood.

This can make us feel tired, weak, dizzy, and unable to focus.

Moreover, healthy kidneys produce erythropoietin, which is a hormone that contributes to the creation of red blood cells in the body, and red blood cells carry oxygen throughout our bodies.

When red blood cells decrease, less oxygen will reach the organs.

This is the reason why feeling fatigued even after sleeping well at night is considered an early sign of kidney problems.

Urologists say that if the tiredness is caused by kidney problems, the person doesn't even feel the energy to do small daily tasks, like going for a bath or walking 50 steps.

The fewer red blood cells we have, the more tired and fragile we will feel.

Fatigue can be caused due to many reasons, so to be on the safe side, it's best to get a blood test done.

If you notice swelling in your ankles or puffiness under your eyes almost every morning, do not ignore it.

Kidneys not working properly will cause a lot of fluid to build up in the body.

Moreover, when your kidneys are falling, a lot of sodium will accumulate.

When sodium increases in the blood, it retains fluid, and in the case of kidney damage due to gravity, this fluid gets accumulated in the form of swollen legs, ankles, feet, or hands.

However, the swelling of the extremities can also be a sign of liver, heart, or chronic vein diseases.

Low levels of protein called albumin can also contribute to edema.

This symptom is also seen in liver disease because essentially kidneys and liver both work together.

So see if you continuously experience swelling at these places.

Symptom number four, shortness of breath.

Being short of breath is usually attributed to heart or lung diseases.

However, breathlessness can also be caused by kidney disease.

The extra fluids and toxins in our body that our kidneys cannot filter can build up in the lungs, causing shortness of breath.

Moreover, the low number of red blood cells and anemia can also starve your oxygen.

In some severe cases, lying down can make you feel like drowning.

This is when you have to go see a doctor immediately.

One of the main functions of kidneys is to purify the blood, but when kidneys are not able to do this properly, it gives rise to this symptom called itching.

Besides filtering the toxins in our body and helping create red cells, our kidneys also help maintain the proper amount of bone minerals.

Therefore, dry and itchy skin can be a sign of failing kidneys that can no longer keep the mineral balance in your body.

Moreover, the accumulation of toxins in our bloodstream can cause skin reactions of all sorts.

Some people can experience itching in only one part of the body.

For others, it can spread to other areas as well.

The color of the skin can also change from yellow to brownish, indicating toxins underlying.

This is the reason that in 10% of the cases, kidney problems are diagnosed by a dermatologist.

So if you have been experiencing skin problems for a long time and have tried all things but are still not getting relief, don't ignore it because chances are that there could be a problem in the kidneys.

Symptom number six, bad breath and metal tastes.

People suffering from kidney disease may complain that food tastes like metal.

They might also have a foul breath at all times.

Moreover, people with this symptom might also have a low appetite.

All these are caused by an accumulation of toxins in your blood called uremia.

Bad breath can be followed by nausea and vomiting.

Even thinking about food can make you sick.

When kidneys are failing, they are not filtering properly.

So the toxins stay in your bloodstream, wreaking all sorts of chaos in the body.

This will make it difficult to sleep and get proper rest.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes you to stop and start breathing during sleep.

This can cause you to snore badly, and in some cases, it can even be obstructive.

Symptom number eight, high blood pressure and diabetes.

These are not really symptoms, but one thing is sure.

If you have high blood pressure or diabetes, you are at a high risk of kidney disease.

In 40% of kidney failure cases, high blood pressure becomes the main cause.

And out of every three diabetic patients, one suffers from kidney damage.

That's because when the sugar remains beyond control, blood thickens, and as a result, it ruptures the tiny blood vessels of the kidney.

In the same way, high blood pressure damages the small kidney vessels.

Blood pressure is not just the cause, but also the result of kidney disease.

That's because one of the functions of the kidneys is to maintain blood pressure.

But when kidneys don't function properly, it can result in high blood pressure.

So if you want to keep your kidneys healthy, it will greatly help you if you keep your blood pressure and blood sugar in check.

These are early symptoms and often ignored as minor.

It's only after 70 to 80% kidney damage that these more prominent symptoms come up.

But kidney damage can be reversed if you just take care of a few things.

Doctors agree that a major reason behind kidney stones and kidney infections is dehydration.

So drink between four and six glasses of water a day to help your kidneys function correctly.

Drinking warm or hot water is even more beneficial.