Can Polycystic Kidney Disease Be Cured or Not

Polycystic kidney disease is a hereditary and genetic cystic disease of the kidney and in most cases bilateral kidneys are affected and filled with multiple fluid-filled sacs of all sizes from a few millimeters to more than 10cm. There are more than 7 million of people are suffering from this life-long disease all over the world.

Since the root cause of PKD is familial genetic mutation, the most fundamental and effective cure for it should be gene therapy which is to put normal gene to cells to replace the abnormal gene. Though it sounds simple, it is a really complex process in practice. But the good news is that scientists have been putting a lot of efforts to the research and exploration of gene therapy.

Therefore it is very necessary for PKD patients to control their illness conditions and strive more time for more effective and advanced treatment and possibly cure in the future.

Though there is unfortunately no cure for PKD at present, there are a lot of things that can and should be done to help alleviate symptoms, prevent complications, slow down growth rate of the cysts, delay illness progression into renal failure and preserve as much kidney function as possible.

Treatments for PKD are symptomatic before renal failure and renal replacement therapies---dialysis and kidney transplant when it develops into end stage renal disease.

Symptomatic treatments mainly aim at alleviating discomforts and suffering caused by these continuously enlarged cysts. The common symptoms and signs include flank, abdomen and lower back pains, high blood pressure, blood in urine, urinary tract infections, etc. Once there is any symptom or discomforts, report it to the doctor timely and the doctor will offer corresponding medicines or treatments to alleviate the symptoms such as painkillers, antibiotics, ACEI or surgeries. One more thing needs to be noted that controlling blood pressure is extremely important for PKD patients. It can help delay the illness progression and reduce further renal damages.

If PKD unfortunately develops into end stage and GFR has fallen below 15, dialysis or kidney transplant will be needed to sustain the patients’ life. Contrary to the popular belief, kidney transplant is not a cure for PKD but only a relatively more effective and ideal treatment for PKD at present.

Besides, a healthy lifestyle including reasonable diets, proper exercises, good mood, stable blood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipid can all help slow down the growth rate of the cysts and enhance longevity.