Kidney problems - polycystic kidney disease
The human body has two kidneys, one on either side of the middle back just under the ribs. The kidneys regulate the amount of water and salts in the blood, filtering out waste products and producing a hormone that helps to control blood pressure.
Polycystic kidney disease is an inherited condition characterised by the growth of cysts (small blisters of fluid) in the kidneys. Both kidneys are affected, but one may develop the cysts earlier than the other. The cysts continue to grow until they compress the healthy kidney tissue and impair functioning. Polycystic kidney disease is one of the leading causes of kidney failure in Australia and affects men, women and people of different ethnic backgrounds equally. There is no cure, but the disease can be managed.
Symptoms
Polycystic kidney disease may have no symptoms (asymptomatic) in the earlier stages. Sometimes, the disease is diagnosed during medical investigations for other complaints, such as urinary tract infections. At other times, the disease isn’t discovered until the development of kidney failure. Symptoms of polycystic kidney disease may include:
- Pain in the back or sides
- Enlarged and painful abdomen
- Blood in the urine
- High blood pressure
- Urinary tract infections
- Kidney stones.
Polycystic kidney disease is caused by gene abnormalities. A parent with polycystic kidney disease has a 50 per cent chance of passing the faulty gene and associated disease to each of their children. If a person doesn’t inherit the gene, there is no chance of their children developing the disease because it never ‘skips’ a generation. Occasionally, a person develops the disease when there is no family history, and it is thought that a different inheritance or a genetic mutation may be responsible. Siblings won’t have the condition, but the affected person’s children will have a 50-50 risk of inheriting it. The presence of the abnormal chromosomes can be detected with special blood tests. Genetic counselling is available for affected couples.
Common complications
Some of the common complications of polycystic kidney disease include:
- High blood pressure
- Bleeding into the kidneys
- Infection of one or more cysts
- Liver cysts (always unimportant)
- Weak spots in blood vessel walls of the brain (aneurysm)
- Retained toxins, since the urine only comprises water and salts
- Kidney failure, usually in the middle or later years of life.
The cysts usually start growing during the teenage years. Over time, the cysts replace healthy tissue and make the outline of the kidneys look irregular or ‘moth-eaten’. Diagnosing polycystic kidney disease involves a number of tests including:
- Physical examination, since the kidneys enlarge considerably as the disease progresses.
- Ultrasound scans.
- X-rays.
- CT scans (most sensitive).
A person with polycystic kidney disease can live normally until around 90 per cent of their kidney functioning is gone. There is no cure, and restoring kidney functioning isn’t possible either. However, regular monitoring and treatment can reduce or prevent some of the complications and prolong the person’s lifespan. Treatment options include:
- Reducing the amount of protein in the diet.
- Treatment for high blood pressure.
- Dialysis treatment, which involves filtering the blood through a special membrane to remove toxins.
- Surgical removal of one or both kidneys (only if very large or pain is unmanageable).
- Kidney transplant.
- Your doctor
- Kidney Health Australi information line Tel. 1800 682 531
- TTY 1800 005 881
- Polycystic kidney disease is an inherited condition characterised by the growth of cysts in the kidneys.
- The disease may be asymptomatic until it is well advanced.
- There is no cure, but treatment can reduce or prevent some of the complications and prolong the person’s lifespan.
Related articles:
Kidneys - age related problems.
Kidneys explained.
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Article publication date: 24/10/2001
Last reviewed: 30/10/2004
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