World Kidney Day: Swollen face, endless fatigue, and more; experts list 6 warning signs of poor renal health in Gen Z and millennials

Kidney health conditions, including kidney stones and kidney diseases, are on the rise in recent years across the globe. In India, doctors are noticing a surge in kidney stone cases, especially among the younger generations, or the Gen Z and millennials, due to multiple reasons. On World Kidney Day, let's discuss this in detail.

Some of the major reasons that experts list are the heavy consumption of processed food items, sugary beverages, fried snacks, and lack of hydration.

While, on the other hand, a study published in February 2023 has revealed that the prevalence of kidney stones in India stands at 12 per cent, and is relatively more common in north India with a 15 per cent rate. “Young adults should look for fatigue and weakness that become almost habitual. This could be due to anaemia, secondary to decreasing renal function, and manifesting as swelling of the hands, feet, or face from retained fluid,” says Dr. Bhanu Mishra, consultant nephrologist at BLK Max Super Speciality Hospital.



According to Dr. Shrey Srivastava, Senior Consultant-Internal Medicine, Sharda Hospital, “Symptoms of kidney dysfunction can easily be missed because these are often quite common, almost like those arising in other organs.”

• Extreme thirst: Gen Z must suspect if they have polyuria and thirst. Excessive thirst is a molecular sign of kidney disease.
• Frequent urination: The next is frequent urination, which may imply nephronophthisis, an insidious, hereditary condition in which the kidney gradually loses its functions until failing—resulting in kidney shutdown if untreated.
• Blood in urine: Alternatively, there could be dark bloody urine due to IgA nephropathy, an autoimmune disorder leading to the inflammation of the filtering units of the kidneys.

• Always tired: Lethargic feeling throughout the day can be an early symptom of kidney health disease.
• Itchy skin: In some cases, itchiness in the skin may happen if your kidneys can't flush out the toxins and they build up in your blood.
• Swollen face and feet: When your kidneys can't get rid of sodium, they build up in your body, which may show up on your face or feet.

This both requires immediate medical attention to avoid more advanced end-stage renal disease. “Nephronophthisis, in these cases, can present these same symptoms without significant hypertension to assist in the detection early on. You can henceforth see such symptoms stir medical evaluation and timely intervention to stave off further damage to the kidneys,” says Dr. Srivastava.