Polycystic kidney disease
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a genetic disease that causes multiple small cysts, or fluid-filled sacs, to develop in the kidneys. Most cases cause no problems until the age of 30 to 50 years old, when they have grown large enough to affect the functioning of the kidneys, causing symptoms or changes to blood tests. This is so-called adult PKD, as although children are born with it, symptoms don't appear until adulthood. It’s also known as autosomal dominant PKD, according to how it is inherited. Each parent has a 50% chance of passing it on to their child.
More rarely, symptoms may be seen in babies or children, and this is called infantile PKD or autosomal recessive PKD. It’s more serious as the kidneys are under strain from an early age and cysts can also appear on the liver. It’s inherited only if both parents carry the faulty gene.
Around a quarter of PKD cases have no known family history, it either occurs spontaneously or was never diagnosed in relatives. They can pass the condition on to their children.
What can you find here
How do I know if I have PKD?
Those with a parent with PKD will have scans to check – this can happen as early as in pregnancy scans. Symptoms that the kidneys are enlarged or under strain include pain in the back or sides, recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney stones, blood in the urine or high blood pressure.
A scan showed a cyst on my kidney, what does this mean?
You may have a scan of your kidney for any reason – acute kidney injury (AKI) or recurrent UTIs – and this may show a cyst on the kidney. Depending on its size and location, most times, this is relatively meaningless if the kidney function monitored by your blood is fine and you have no symptoms, It might be monitored every so often to check the cyst has not substantially grown. It can also spontaneously disappear.
How is PKD monitored?
You will have regular blood tests – at least once a year – to monitor how well your kidneys are functioning. If they show persistent deterioration – if the creatinine is repeatedly raised – you will be diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is permanent damage to the kidneys.
You will have regular ultrasound scans to check the size of the kidneys as thousands of cysts cause it to enlarge. If there are any abnormalities, other scans may be organised to consider if there are any blockages in the tubes carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder and out of the body.
What can you find here