Verywell / Jessica Olah
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Kidney Disease?
Blood Tests
You may give a sample of your blood to be checked in a lab.
Your provider might also want to test your blood to see how much creatinine there is in it.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
Creatinine is a waste substance your kidneys usually help clear from your body.
If your kidneys are not working well, you may have more creatinine in your blood than normal.
A biopsy can be done with a needle inserted into the kidney, guided by ultrasound.
The needle then removes kidney tissue for microscopic examination in a lab.
The sensor can tell the difference between normal and abnormal readings.
Self-Checks/At-Home Testing
Right now, there are no self-checks for renal failure.
Gently striking of the back that causes pain can indicate a urinary tract obstruction.
Imaging Tests
Imaging tests can help your provider get a closer look at your kidneys.
How Is Kidney Disease Treated?
At some point, you may need to have a kidney transplant.
Sometimes, people only learn they have kidney disease when theyre having medical tests for something else.
If your provider thinks your symptoms could be related to your kidneys, theyll do tests to check them.
Summary
Renal failure tests can be used to check you for acute or chronic kidney disease.
American Kidney Fund.Kidney failure (ESRD) causes, symptoms, & treatments.
National Kidney Foundation.Acute kidney injury (AKI).
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Chronic kidney disease tests and diagnosis.
American Kidney Fund.Serum creatinine test.
Mount Sinai.Creatinine urine test.
American Kidney Fund.Kidney biopsy.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Kidney biopsy.
2020;321. doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2020.128549
Merck Manual.Evaluation of the renal patient.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Kidney ultrasounds.
