Polycystic Kidney Disease Patients: Stay Away from Alcohol

Many polycystic kidney disease patients concern weather they can drink alcohol or not. Kidney experts suggest that PKD patients should stay away from alcohol which will cause a lot of harms to the cysts and kidneys and will aggravate illness progression.

1. PKD and other renal cystic disease patients need a favorable internal environment for a better recovery which can not be achieved if patients drink a lot of alcohol. Drinking alcohol can cause increase of blood pressure which is a major aggravating factor for PKD patients. Nearly all end stage PKD patients have high blood pressure.

2. Alcohol can cause hypermetabolism of creatine in the muscle and further increase the level of serum creatinine. What is more, the acid substances in alcohol decomposition will cause metabolic acidosis and patients will have many signs and discomforts such as nausea, loss of appetite, depression, headache, etc.

3. Long term intake of alcohol will cause dysfunction of platelet and patients will have various haemorrhage and anemia.

4. Too much alcohol will cause gastrointestinal malabsorption and malnutrition. The body will have low utilization of vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and folic acid as well as increased excretion of vitamin B6.

5. Alcohol can have direct damages to the kidneys. Drinking alcohol will disturb the balance of nitrogen and increase protein decomposition. As a result the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) will increase and this will add extra burdens to the kidneys.

6. Besides, drinking alcohol will cause many other health issues such as loss of combined water in the cells, hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis, etc.

PKD is a hereditary kidney disease and it has the feature of familial aggregation. Once diagnosed with PKD, patients should have adequate rest and avoid strenuous activities and abdominal traumas. In case of large cyst, there will be obvious abdominal masses and it is better to use suspender to replace belt to reduce the risk of cyst rupture. Have regular check every half a year including blood pressure, routine urine test, B ultrasound and kidney function test. Avoid all medicines that have renal toxicity and it is recommended that relatives of PKD patients to have B ultrasound.