If you mean “5 danger signs that a child’s kidneys could be in trouble,” here is detailed, parent-friendly information. Kidney disease in children can be difficult to recognize because early disease may cause few or no symptoms.
5 Danger Signs Your Kidneys Could Be in Trouble
1. Swelling or puffiness around the eyes, face, hands, or feet
One of the more noticeable warning signs is unexplained swelling, particularly around the eyes in the morning or in the feet, ankles, legs, hands, or abdomen.
The kidneys normally remove excess salt and water from the body. If they are not functioning properly, extra fluid can accumulate in body tissues, producing swelling called edema. Persistent morning puffiness around the eyes can also occur when the kidneys are losing too much protein into the urine.
Watch for:
- Puffy eyelids, especially repeatedly after waking
- Shoes or socks suddenly becoming tight
- Swollen ankles or feet
- Swelling of the hands or face
- A swollen-looking abdomen
- Swelling that persists or progressively worsens
Swelling does not automatically mean kidney disease. Allergies, heart problems, liver disease, medications, and other conditions can also cause it. Persistent or unexplained swelling should therefore be evaluated by a healthcare professional.
2. Changes in urine
Changes in how urine looks or how often a child urinates can provide important clues about kidney or urinary-tract problems.
Foamy or unusually bubbly urine that occurs repeatedly may indicate excess protein in the urine. Healthy kidney filters normally prevent significant amounts of protein from escaping into urine.
Pink, red, brown, or cola-colored urine may indicate blood in the urine. Blood can occur with kidney disease, but it can also result from urinary infections, kidney stones, vigorous exercise, medications, or other conditions.
Also pay attention if your child:
- Suddenly urinates much more often
- Urinates much less than usual
- Begins wetting the bed after previously staying dry
- Has painful or difficult urination
- Has urine that is persistently foamy
- Has visibly bloody or unusually dark urine
A change in urine should not automatically be blamed on dehydration. A urine test can check for protein, blood, infection, and other abnormalities.
3. Unusual tiredness, weakness, or difficulty concentrating
Kidney disease can affect the whole body, not just urination.
As kidney function decreases, waste products can accumulate in the blood. Kidney disease can also contribute to anemia, meaning there are not enough healthy red blood cells to deliver oxygen efficiently. This can leave a child unusually tired or weak.
Parents might notice:
- A child who is tired despite adequate sleep
- Less interest in normal activities
- Weakness or reduced stamina
- Difficulty concentrating
- Problems paying attention at school
- A noticeable decline in school performance
- Sleeping more than usual
These symptoms are not specific to kidney disease. Anemia from other causes, infections, sleep problems, nutritional deficiencies, stress, and many other conditions can produce similar symptoms. But persistent unexplained fatigue deserves medical evaluation.
4. Poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, or poor growth
When kidney function becomes significantly impaired, waste products can build up in the bloodstream. This may contribute to nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, and weight loss.
For children, another particularly important issue is growth.
Because children are still developing, chronic kidney disease can interfere with normal height and weight gain. A child may appear smaller than expected for their age or stop following their usual growth pattern.
Look for:
- Persistent loss of appetite
- Repeated nausea
- Unexplained vomiting
- Unintentional weight loss
- Poor weight gain
- Falling behind expected height growth
- Reduced energy combined with poor appetite
A child who consistently isn’t growing as expected should be evaluated even if there are no obvious urinary symptoms.
5. High blood pressure, headaches, or other unexplained symptoms
High blood pressure can be both a cause and a consequence of kidney disease. In children, it can sometimes be associated with kidney problems.
Unfortunately, high blood pressure often causes no obvious symptoms, so measuring a child’s blood pressure during routine healthcare visits is important.
When blood pressure is significantly elevated, a child may experience:
- Headaches
- Vision changes
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Feeling unwell
Kidney disease can also cause other symptoms as it progresses, including itching, muscle cramps, shortness of breath, and changes in urination.
A single high blood-pressure reading doesn’t necessarily mean a child has kidney disease. Children can have temporarily elevated readings because of anxiety, illness, pain, or other factors. Repeated abnormal readings need medical assessment.
When to seek medical care urgently
Some symptoms warrant prompt medical attention, particularly:
- Blood or cola-colored urine
- Significant swelling
- Very little or no urine
- Severe or persistent vomiting
- Fever with painful/frequent urination
- Fever with back or side pain
- Severe weakness or unusual sleepiness
- Difficulty breathing
- Severe headache, confusion, or vision changes
A kidney infection, for example, can cause fever/chills, painful or frequent urination, abnormal-smelling or bloody urine, back/side pain, nausea, or vomiting. NIDDK recommends seeking medical care promptly when kidney-infection symptoms are present because an untreated infection can potentially become serious.
How doctors check a child’s kidneys
Symptoms alone cannot diagnose kidney disease. A pediatrician may use several straightforward tests.
1. Urine testing
A urine sample can look for:
- Protein
- Blood
- Signs of infection
- Other abnormalities
Protein or blood in the urine can sometimes appear before obvious symptoms.
2. Blood tests
Blood testing can measure substances such as creatinine and help estimate how well the kidneys are filtering blood, often using an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).
3. Blood-pressure measurement
Because kidney disease and high blood pressure can influence each other, checking blood pressure is an important part of evaluation.
4. Ultrasound or other imaging
Imaging can examine kidney size, structure, position, blockages, and certain abnormalities.
5. Additional testing when necessary
Depending on the child’s symptoms and family history, doctors may consider genetic testing or, in selected cases, a kidney biopsy.
Important: symptoms don’t always appear early
One of the biggest misconceptions is that kidney disease will always cause obvious warning signs. It may not. Children with early chronic kidney disease can have few or no symptoms.
That’s why children with risk factors—such as congenital urinary-tract abnormalities, a family history of inherited kidney disease, sustained high blood pressure, recurrent dehydration, certain infections or inflammatory diseases, or abnormal urination—may need closer medical monitoring.
Bottom line
The five signs worth paying attention to are:
- Persistent swelling or puffy eyes
- Foamy, bloody, unusually dark, or markedly changed urine
- Unusual fatigue, weakness, or concentration problems
- Poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, or poor growth
- High blood pressure, recurrent headaches, or other unexplained symptoms
Having one of these signs does not mean your child has kidney disease. Many other conditions can cause the same symptoms. But persistent, unexplained, or worsening symptoms should be discussed with a pediatrician, who can determine whether urine, blood-pressure, or blood testing is appropriate.
If you meant “5 danger signs in adults” rather than children, the warning signs are somewhat different, and I can give you a detailed adult version as well.