Kidney Disease Symptoms Women Shouldn’t Ignore: Doctor Shares Early Warning Signs

Kidney Disease Symptoms In Women: Kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located on either side of the spine and are involved in the purification of blood. It produces urine through which the nitrogenous waste products are eliminated from the body. Kidney disease is often called a “silent killer” because its early symptoms can be subtle or mistaken for other common health issues, especially in women. Fatigue, bloating, frequent urination or swelling in the ankles might not immediately raise warnings, but they could be early indicators of kidney dysfunction. Women, in particular, may attribute these signs to hormonal changes, urinary tract infections or lifestyle factors, which can delay diagnosis and timely intervention.

As kidney disease progresses quietly, the damage becomes harder to reverse. Early detection is crucial for effective management and improved long-term outcomes. Thus, it’s important to recognise and act on the early warning signs. In conversation with The Daily Jagran, Dr Navinath M, MD(Med)(AIIMS), DM(Nephro)(AIIMS), DNB(Nephro), MNAMS, Consultant Nephrologist and Renal Transplant Physician - Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology, Nungambakkam, Chennai, shares the early warning signs of kidney diseases in women that must not be overlooked.

Symptoms Of Kidney Diseases In Women And Men

Although symptoms of kidney disease are mostly similar for both men and women, there are certain specific considerations for women. Dr Navinath M states some common symptoms of kidney damage.

No symptoms – Early stages of kidney damage do not cause any symptoms and can only be detected through blood tests, urine tests and Blood pressure measurement. Hence, it is very important for patients with a high risk of developing kidney damage, like DM and HT, to get their renal function tests at regular intervals, even if not symptomatic.

Swelling of feet – A common symptom of renal damage is swelling of the feet or swelling of the face when getting up from sleep. It happens due to the loss of proteins in urine and is a sign of kidney injury. In the initial stages, patients may have only transient swelling of the feet after prolonged sitting, which disappears after lying down.

Frothy urine – It is normal to have frothy urine when passing urine in a full bladder, like the first void urine after waking up. However, persistent frothy urine needs evaluation to rule out proteinuria, a marker of renal injury.

Kidney Diseases Early Signs In Women (Image Credits: Canva)

Blood in urine – A scary symptom for many patients and may be due to benign causes such as Urinary tract infection or renal stone. However, painless hematuria in an elderly smoker must be evaluated for malignancies like Renal Cell carcinoma or Carcinoma urinary bladder.

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Loss of appetite and tiredness – Usually, these are very nonspecific complaints and patients with advanced renal dysfunction may have these symptoms due to anaemia, which is common in later stages of kidney disease

Changes in volume of urine – Passing very low volumes of urine (oliguria) and passing excessive volumes of urine (Polyuria) – both are abnormal and need evaluation of the renal function

Loin pain – Urinary stones blocking the flow of urine in the urinary tract can cause acute pain in the lumbar area and will need appropriate imaging and management. However its important to note that renal dysfunction alone usually does not cause any pain.

Itching – Patients with advanced renal dysfunction can develop multiple skin issues, like dryness of the skin and severe itching

Others – Shortness of breath, Changes in taste sense, Bad breath, burning micturition, Loss of weight, Insomnia – Though not specific to renal dysfunction, may be associated with renal injury.

Kidney Damage Signs In Women

Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) – Women are more prone to UTIs. Common symptoms of Lower Urinary tract infections are painful urination (dysuria) and frequent micturition. Fever with chills may occur when the infection spreads to the kidneys. Recurrent UTIs and Pyelonephritis (Infection of the kidneys) can cause damage to the kidneys

Autoimmune diseases – Autoimmune diseases like Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) are more common in women and SLE can cause significant damage to the kidneys.

Pregnancy – High blood pressure and swelling of feet during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia) can lead to kidney damage and increase the risk of hypertension and CKD later in life. Existing kidney diseases can also affect pregnancy outcomes.

Hormonal changes – Fluctuations during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause can impact kidney function, especially when associated with other comorbidities and medications intake.

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Dr Navinath M states, “Early stages of renal dysfunction do not have any symptoms or the symptoms are very subtle and non-troubling; renal function testing with simple blood and urine tests can pick up early stages of renal dysfunction.”

The above list of symptoms is not complete and is specific in nature (meaning people with other conditions may also have similar symptoms), hence, it is always advisable to consult your family physician if you have any of these symptoms.

There are certain special considerations for women about renal diseases, as they are more prone to UTIs and autoimmune diseases like SLE are more common in women.