Cystic Kidney Disease

Cystic Kidney Disease
Cystic Kidney disease is a malformation of the kidney and is also known as multicystic kidney disease, polycystic kidney disease. It causes fluid filled sacs to form in the kidneys. Normal healthy kidneys do not have any sacs in them but this disease can result in large or small sacs. These sacs are usually present from the moment a fetus is produced, but occasionally the disease affects people later on in life as well.

PKD, or Polycystic Kidney Disease, is when both the left and right kidneys have cysts, and has a tendency to run in families. A polycystic kidney keeps the shape of a normal kidney while having several cysts in it. It can still filter waste products from the blood, but it will not perform perfectly.

MKD, or multicystic kidney disease is when there are several, large cysts in the kidney, and the affected kidney changes shape and looks similar to a cluster of grapes. The kidney is unable to function. MKD usually affects one of the two kidneys and does not run in families. The opposite pair of the kidney is likely to have some structural abnormalities and therefore needs to be examined as well.

Some children have one single cyst that develops in their kidney. Provided it does not grow to a large size, it does not hamper with any kidney function.

A common symptom of cystic kidney disease is a feeling of fullness in the abdomen, caused by the enlarged kidneys. The kidneys are unable to make the urine concentrated, so there is a large output of urine as well. At birth, a baby with cystic kidney disease will have large lumps in the flank masses.

It is not yet known what causes cystic kidney disease, but it is known that it is a genetic condition that runs in families.

It is medically diagnosed through an ultrasound, which can show cysts in the kidneys and also show abnormally large kidneys. An IVP is a special X-ray that shows cysts in the kidney, and they can also be detected with a CAT scan of the kidneys and abdomen.

The kidneys in PKD cannot be treated but only their complications are treated. In MKD, if the non-functioning kidney does not cause any damage, then it is left alone, but there are surgeons who argue against not taking any action. More focus is spent on making sure that the patient's other kidney is working well.

If there is just a solitary cyst, which is very small, it is unlikely to require treatment.