- Kidney rejection symptoms, such as decreased urine output, could be a sign the transplanted kidney is not functioning at full capacity. Decreased urine output means a person produces less than 500ml of urine in 24 hours. Other symptoms that could signal kidney rejection include pain or burning when urinating, detecting a strong odor to the urine, and possibly seeing blood in the urine.
- Fluid retention can be a symptom of kidney rejection. The physician in charge of a patient's care should be notified as soon as possible of any swelling or puffiness. Swelling typically affects the arms, legs or face. Another symptom of fluid retention is rapid weight gain in a short amount of time.
- Prolonged nausea or vomiting could be a sign of kidney rejection. This symptom could be an indication the body is not ridding itself of toxins that are meant to be excreted from the body. Suffering from diarrhea in addition to this symptom should be reported to the physician.
- Other kidney rejection symptoms include high blood pressure, lightheadedness, a cough, a skin rash and/or extreme fatigue.
- A transplant patient should seek immediate care in an emergency room if any of these kidney rejection symptoms appear. It's preferable that the patient go to the emergency room of the hospital where the transplant was done. If the transplant recipient is experiencing shortness of breath, it could be a sign of fluid retention in the lungs. Any tenderness, redness or swelling at the surgical site needs to be looked at immediately. If the patient is experiencing any kind of abdominal pain or pain that is centered over the transplanted kidney, or is running a fever over 101 degrees F, it could be an indication of infection.
Women who receive kidney transplants are at an increased risk of kidney rejection and fetal complications if they become pregnant too soon. To decrease this risk, it is advised that women wait at least two years after a kidney transplant to try to conceive.