Kidney disease refers to damage and/or reduced kidney function. The kidney normally functions to filter waste from the blood as it passes through, allowing the body to expel this waste in urine. For this reason – and because it can take up to 90% of kidney function to be lost before symptoms appear – early signs of kidney failure are often detected through abnormalities in urine.

When kidney function is compromised for more than three months, this is termed chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease can cause a number of symptoms including iron deficiency, pain and cramps, digestive issues, and mood and sleep disturbance.

If you are interested in finding out more, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and the Department of Health have pages with more information on chronic kidney disease and its treatment, while the Health Direct website has a more extensive list of signs and symptoms of chronic kidney disease: