This article summarized from Medicine Plus
Poly cystic kidney disease
Clusters of fluid-filled sacs, called cysts, develop in the kidneys and interfere with their ability to filter waste products from the blood. The growth of cysts causes the kidneys to become enlarged and can lead to kidney failure. Cysts may also develop in other organs, particularly the liver.
Frequent complications of polycystic kidney disease include dangerously high blood pressure (hypertension), pain in the back or sides, blood in the urine (hematuria), recurrent urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and heart valve abnormalities. Additionally, people with polycystic kidney disease have an increased risk of an abnormal bulging (an aneurysm) in a large blood vessel called the aorta or in blood vessels at the base of the brain. Aneurysms can be life-threatening if they tear or rupture.
Polycystic kidney disease is a fairly common genetic disorder. It affects about 500,000 people in the United States. Polycystic kidney disease affects 1 in 500 people,
Mutations in genes that provide instructions for making proteins whose functions are not fully understood cause PKD. Researchers believe that they are involved in transmitting chemical signals from outside the cell to the cell’s nucleus. The two proteins work together to promote normal kidney development, organization, and function. Mutations lead to the formation of thousands of cysts, which disrupt the normal functions of the kidneys and other organs.
Acquired polycystic kidney disease is a form of the disorder occurs most often in people with other types of kidney disease who have been treated for several years with hemodialysis (a procedure that filters waste products from the blood).
In 90 percent of cases, an affected person inherits the mutation from one affected parent. The other 10 percent of cases result from a new mutation in one of the genes and occur in people with no history of the disorder in their family.
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