Kidneys are a pair of organs located towards your lower back, each kidney on either side of your spine. The main function of the kidneys is to filter blood and remove toxins from the body.

Kidney failure, also called as End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), is the final stage of chronic kidney failure. It occurs when kidneys lose the ability to filter waste from blood efficiently. It is a stage when dialysis or kidney transplant does not respond well to treat the problem. In this condition, the kidneys fail, and all its functions stop working suddenly.

Diabetes is the primary reason behind ESRD followed by high blood pressure. Other conditions like autoimmune diseases, certain genetic diseases, nephrotic syndrome, and urinary tract problems can also lead to this condition.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) gets worse slowly, and symptoms may not appear until kidneys are badly damaged. In the late stages of CKD, as you are nearing kidney failure (ESRD), you may notice symptoms that are caused due to waste and extra fluid building up in the body.

Symptoms Of Kidney Failure include itching, muscle cramps, nausea and vomitting, loss of appetite, swelling of the feet and ankles, uncontrolled or lack of urine, breathing problems, trouble sleeping, abdominal pain, backache, diarrhea, fever and nose bleeds.  

Diagnosis And Treatment

Doctors usually recommend certain tests and procedures which include urine output measurements, urine tests, blood tests, imaging tests and removing a sample of kidney tissue for testing. If the person has kidney failure it is advised that dialysis or a kidney transplant is provided as there is no cure for ESRD, and people live long while on dialysis or after having a kidney transplant.