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What will happen if you have polycystic kidney disease? Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a cystic genetic disorder of your kidneys which is characterized by presence multiple cysts in both kidneys. Polycystic kidney disease cysts can gradually decrease kidney function and lead to renal failure. When you experience PKD, you may show some symptoms. What symptoms will PKD patients experience? Read through this article, you may have a clear understanding about PKD symptoms.
Polycystic Kidney Disease shows many symptoms. However, not every PKD patients will experience all of the symptoms.
Here, we introduce the symptoms respectively for you.
1. High blood pressure
It is the first major symptom of PKD. Having a good management of high blood pressure enables to delay the progression of your Polycystic Kidney Disease and slow further damage on your kidneys. Therefore, you need to pay more attention to your daily diet and form a good habit in your daily life in addition to using some medications to control your high blood pressure.
2. Back or flank pain
Chronic pain, which is usually in your back or your side, is a common symptom of polycystic kidney disease. The pain is often mild and you can bear it with some medications. If the pain become severe and constant, you can not stand it. In this case, your doctor may recommend you remove your cysts.
3. Bladder or urinary tract infection
Cysts press on each other and easily cause ruptured cysts. The cysts fluid usually causes infection. Besides, kidney stone will also cause bladder or urinary tract infection. That is because the urine will hurt the urethral epithelial cells, causing bladder or urinary tract infection. This is also the cause of back or flank pain.
4. Complications of cysts
As its name suggests, when you have PKD, there are multiple cysts on your kidneys. As these cysts growth, many complications will occur. In severe cases, you have to do surgery to remove your cysts.
5. Blood in urine
This may occur under some conditions, such as kidney stones, urinary tract infection and ruptured cysts. All of these will cause blood in urine.
6. Kidney failure
When your kidneys lose their ability to fluid wastes and water out of your body, dialysis or kidney transplant is waiting for you.
7. Aneurysms
If you experience Polycystic Kidney Disease and have a family history of brain aneurysms, you should do regular check ups to detect whether you have aneurysms. Once you have aneurysms, early detection will be helpful for treating them.
In addition, like other kidney diseases’ symptoms, PKD patients also experience puffy eyes, face and hands, called edema. Polycystic Kidney Disease also has some typical symptoms like varicose veins, hemorrhoids and the most typical cysts.
Having a general understanding of Polycystic Kidney Disease lays the foundation of treating it. Detecting your disease and taking effective therapy delays the progression into renal failure and control the development of PKD.
