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Fatigue may occur when someone has a lack of iron in the diet. Women often experience fatigue because of the iron they lose during menstruation. another reason for fatigue is a lack of folic acid or vitamin B12 and, of course, infections and disease can bring on fatigue. the most common descriptions of fatigue are lack of energy and being exhausted or unable to do the smallest tasks. Fatigue is one of the common renal failure symptoms, and it becomes increasingly a problem as the kidney failure advances. Sometimes, depression can disguise itself as fatigue, but they are two entirely different situations.

More than 90% of patients in End Stage Renal Disease report the symptoms of fatigue. Fatigue is hard to quantify or measure, but it does increase according to the degree of the renal failure. A healthy kidney produces a hormone called erythropoietin and it encodes the body with information to make red blood cells, but the kidneys that are failing don’t produce much erythropoietin and the production of red blood cells decreases to very little. This familiar condition is called anemia and the brain and muscles become tired quickly. It matters little whether a person rests or sleeps when there aren’t enough red blood cells; the body simply cannot perform and it is worn out all the time.

How is Fatigue Treated for the Patient with Renal Failure?

Obviously, the best way to alleviate fatigue for the patient with renal failure is to build up the red blood cell count. A doctor will often prescribe medication to aid in the production of red blood cells. Aranesp is one drug that stimulates the production of red blood cells by supplying synthetic erythropoietin. while this is good from the standpoint that it can get the body to step up production of a needed component to reduce fatigue, it also has the ability to bring side effects as do most medications. For instance, it can increase or decrease blood pressure, as well as cause muscle or body aches, headaches, and chest pain. Use of this drug increases the risk of blood clots and circulatory problems such as stroke or heart attack.

From the first renal failure symptoms, fatigue may or may not be that pronounced.  As symptoms of kidney failure increase, it is assured that fatigue will be one of them. Although it can’t be expected that a person whose kidneys are failing will be completely comfortable, there are natural and safer ways to bring comfort than with drugs. Diet is the most important way to keep the red blood cell count built up and slow down the advance of fatigue and other symptoms. Natural kidney failure treatments are always preferred over prescription medications, and implementation of a proper diet plan is a key way to extend the useful life of the kidneys and minimize renal failure symptoms.

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