Symptoms & Causes
There are some common symptoms of PKD such as:
- Blood in the urine
- Urinary tract or kidney infections
- Kidney stones and kidney failure
- Abdominal enlargement due to enlarged kidneys
Polycystic Kidney disease (PKD) is the most common renal genetic (hereditary and congenital) disease that leads to renal failure. PKD causes cysts to grow inside the kidneys. These cysts make the kidneys much larger than they should be and damage the normal tissues. PKD causes Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), which can lead to renal failure. PKD causes about 2% of the cases of kidney failure in the United States each year.
There are some common symptoms of PKD such as:
As the cause is genetic, most of the patients have relatives already diagnosed with PKD. Patients will have Ultrasound Screening to determine the number and volume of the cysts and other laboratory tests and investigations to determine the impact of the disease on kidneys.
Medications are used to control the symptoms associated with Polycystic Kidney Disease. Tolvaptan is used to slow the rate of the cyst growth and decrease the deterioration of the kidneys function.
