Polycystic kidney disease

Polycystic kidney disease is an inherited disorder in which many fluid-filled cysts grow in the kidneys, enlarging them and slowly reducing their function. The dominant form, the commonest inherited kidney condition, usually appears in adulthood, while a rare recessive form also affects the liver and starts in infancy. The dominant form stems from a fault in one of two genes passed on by a parent, though some have no known family history. Features include abdominal or flank pain, blood in the urine, high blood pressure, kidney stones, urinary infections and liver cysts. Serious complications include kidney failure and brain bleeding from a burst aneurysm. Diagnosis uses examination, ultrasound, CT or MRI, blood and urine tests, and genetic testing in families. It cannot be cured; care uses blood pressure medicines, antibiotics for urinary infections and a low-salt diet, tolvaptan can slow cyst growth, and kidney failure needs dialysis or transplantation.

Seek urgent care for fever with flank pain, inability to pass urine, or blood in the urine. See a doctor for burning on urination that lasts more than two days, urinary symptoms that keep returning, or any change in urinary flow in men over 50. Call the local emergency number for any symptom that is sudden and severe. This page is a reference for healthcare professionals and does not replace an assessment.