How Are Kidney Diseases Diagnosed?
Kidney problems are often not noticed at an early stage. As the illness progresses, someone with a kidney disease may feel tired, nauseated, itchy, or dizzy. The person also might have puffy eyes, ankles, or feet because the body has trouble getting rid of extra fluid. Someone who has these problems needs to go to the doctor. At a doctor visit, the doctor would examine the person and ask questions about past and current health problems. Doctors can use many special tests to find out if someone’s kidneys are working properly. Blood pressure can be measured — if it’s high, it may indicate a kidney problem. Because the kidneys produce urine, the doctor can check a person’s pee for blood or protein. Normal urine usually doesn’t contain much of either one. The doctor also might take a little bit of the person’s blood to check the amount of something called creatinine (say: kree-at-in-een), a natural waste product that muscles release into the blood. The level of creatinine can go up too hig
