Immunotherapy in Treating PKD

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a hereditary and congenital disease and there is at present no cure for it. It is characterized by clusters of fluid-filled sacs in the kidneys and these cysts will experience gradual enlargement and growth, oppressing and replacing normal renal tissues and in the end alter the renal structure and affect kidney functions and finally lead to end stage kidney failure. Though there is no cure for PKD, patients should not lose heart and wait passively for the end stage to come and rely on renal replacement therapies---dialysis and kidney transplant.

Since most PKD patients inherit the disease from their parents, therefore the disease can often be diagnosed even when patients have no obvious symptoms. This is very necessary because there are a lot can be done in the early stage of PKD. PKD is a chronically progressive kidney disease and proper treatments and prevention measures can help further slow down its progression, alleviate the pains and discomforts, improve life quality and extend the patients¡¯life expectancy.

One important prevention is to control the blood pressure and blood sugar which are the major risk factors to worsen kidney damages and therefore it is very important to maintain blood pressure and sugar at stable level through diets and medicines if necessary.

Other prevention measures include diet adjustments and daily nursing cares. PKD patients should give up smoking and drinking, avoid eating spicy and excitant foods such as hot pepper, onion, sea products and aniaml offal. In case of declined kidney function, limit the intake of protein, salt and fat. Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits and drink more water to help maintain normal urine output and discharge more metabolic wastes and toxins out of the body through urination.

If the cysts are too large, there can be palpable abdominal masses and patients should avoid strenuous activites and abdominal traumas which might cause the cysts to rupture and cause severe consequences.