Chronic kidney disease is a health condition in which the kidney’s functionality is severely compromised. In fact, the kidneys of people with this disorder get progressively worse in terms of health and functionality. Moreover, high blood sugar, known as hyperglycemia has long been associated with kidney disease. Essentially, high blood sugar, if not controlled, may eventually cause kidney failure. Here are some signs of kidney disease caused due to excessive sugar in one’s blood.

Increased urges to urinate
One of the earliest indicators of kidney disease is urgency incontinence or an increased need to pee often during a given day. A frequent urge to urinate is seen in people who have stage 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD). This is an advanced stage of the health condition, followed soon by kidney failure. A frequent urge to urinate is a symptom that is accompanied by back pain and swollen hands and feet in individuals with kidney disease.

People with elevated blood glucose levels also experience this symptom. Individuals with diabetes may experience incontinence with regard to urination quite commonly in all stages of the disorder. As diabetes causes kidney issues, this is a sign that should prompt people experiencing it to visit a healthcare professional for a checkup to diagnose the condition.

High blood pressure
Kidneys consist of millions of filters known as nephrons, which are filters responsible for blood purification and, by extension, the vital functioning of other critical organs in the body. People with high blood sugar caused due to diabetes suffer from extensive damage to the blood vessels in their kidneys as well as their nephrons. This seriously impacts the functioning of the nephrons and results in blood circulation issues.

Over a period, individuals with high blood sugar also end up suffering from high blood pressure and other cardiovascular issues. This directly leads to kidney disease, and in the long term may even cause kidney failure. Usually, high blood pressure and other heart-related problems are early indicators that one’s blood sugar levels are high. This phase is also a precursor to kidney disease and damage. Therefore, if one discovers from their periodic medical checkup reports that they have high blood pressure, they are advised to undergo examinations to measure their blood sugar levels and evaluate the health of their kidneys too.

Loss of appetite
People with diabetes often experience insulin-related issues in their body. Insulin is a hormone responsible for glucose in the blood getting absorbed by the body’s cells. However, high blood sugar and diabetes tend to suppress the effects of insulin. This causes glucose to remain in a person’s blood and the body breaks down fat as a substitute to release energy. This causes ketone poisoning in people with very high blood sugar. One of the characteristic effects of ketone poisoning is that people feel extremely sick and lose their appetite for food.

One of the most identifiable signs of kidney disease is also a loss of appetite. In the case of this health condition, the compounds that build in one’s blood due to reduced kidney functionality suppress appetite in people. Further, people with poorly functioning kidneys struggle to sense the taste in whatever they eat.

A loss of appetite is an alarming indicator of both diabetes and CKD. It also reflects that the various systems in the body are not functioning normally. So, one should not overlook this symptom as it can lead to major health complications in the long run, such as multiple organ issues.

Perpetual weakness and fatigue
Perpetual weakness and fatigue, regardless of whether an individual performs any physical activity or not, is also a sign of kidney disease. This health condition often causes anemia in patients as it affects the circulation of oxygen and nutrients through the blood to all the vital parts of the body. This brings frequent breathlessness and tiredness in people with this condition. Additionally, if a person’s kidneys are not functioning properly, then toxins start building up in their blood. This further contributes to perpetual fatigue and tiredness.

People with blood sugar issues also face constant fatigue throughout the day. So, in a way, blood sugar regulation problems worsen the health situation for those with already weakened kidneys.

Increased thirst for water
A common symptom of diabetes is an almost unquenchable thirst. The kidneys of a person with high levels of blood sugar are put under extreme pressure to clear excess glucose out of the body through urine. This results in people with high blood sugar constantly feeling thirsty to make up for the lost fluids.

Increased thirst is also seen in those with CKD. Failing kidneys affected adversely by diabetes and other issues cannot concentrate urine optimally. This results in a loss of water on a large scale and to compensate for that, one constantly feels thirsty if they have this chronic disorder.

Insomnia
Both high blood sugar and low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) abruptly raise and lower the energy levels in a person’s body. Over a period, this causes such individuals to develop insomnia during the night and, as a result, fatigue during the next day.

Insomnia is also closely associated with kidney disease and failure. The large number of toxins that are present in a person’s blood when they have kidney disease brings about perpetual fatigue and also a persistent lack of sleep when they lie on their bed at night.

Itchy skin
People with high blood sugar tend to have dry skin, which is mainly caused by the high glucose levels in a person’s blood. As a result, such individuals are likely to have constantly itchy skin. On the other hand, extremely itchy skin (ranging from simply irritating to life-disrupting) is also a common symptom of advanced kidney disease.

If an individual has itchiness that does not go away after a day or two, they may visit a healthcare expert to determine the cause of the situation.