Swelling in Your Legs? Don’t Ignore This Kidney Warning Sign! - Dr Vikram Barua Kaushik

Ever found yourself feeling your shoes being a bit tighter than normal, or perhaps your socks producing deep creases around your ankles? We all develop puffy legs from time to time, particularly if we've had a long day on our feet – but persistent swelling can be a sign of an underlying health issue.

One of the most overlooked signs of swollen legs is kidney dysfunction. These two bean-shaped organs are responsible for removing waste, toxins, and excess fluid from your blood.

They also maintain healthy blood pressure, produce vital hormones, and even support strong bones. When your kidneys are not functioning efficiently, they can disrupt other important tasks and can lead to swelling in your legs, ankles, and feet. This swelling is also known as edema.

Why would Kidneys cause Legs to Swell?

Healthy kidneys are experts at eliminating excess fluid. But when they're not doing their job, that fluid can begin to build up inside your body. And due to gravity, it tends to collect in your legs, ankles, and feet, causing them to swell. Swollen legs can be a result of numerous different things, some more severe than others.

How Can I Tell if My Swollen Legs are a Kidney Issue?

Swollen legs by themselves don't automatically mean you have kidney disease. But if you're experiencing swelling plus other symptoms, it's a warning sign that something may be up with your kidneys. Here are some other things to monitor for:

• Bathroom habits changes: This might include having to pee a lot more.
• Completely exhausted: Ongoing and unexplained tiredness.
• Nausea and vomiting: Feeling sick to your stomach.
• No appetite: Loss of appetite.
• Itching everywhere: Unrelenting itching.
• Being short of breath: As if you cannot breathe.
• Muscle cramps
• High blood pressure

When to Seek Medical Attention

If you experience persistent or increasing swelling in your legs, combined with any of the above symptoms, you should immediately seek medical attention. Kidney disease complications can be prevented and slowed down if detected early:

• Get a Urine & Blood Test: A routine urine test can screen for protein loss, and a blood test checks creatinine and eGFR, markers of kidney function.
• Monitor Your Blood Pressure & Blood Sugar: Because diabetes and high blood pressure are leading causes of kidney disease, controlling these conditions is important.
• Adopt a Kidney-Friendly Diet: Limit salt consumption, drink plenty of fluids, and eat unprocessed foods to safeguard kidney function.

Swelling in the legs may be caused by numerous factors, but if it is persistent and followed by other signs, your kidneys may be in danger. Ignoring early warning signs can lead to serious complications, including end-stage kidney disease requiring dialysis or transplant.