Polycystic+Kidney+Disease.


 * Autosomal Polycystic Kidney Disease** (PKD) is a genetically inherited disease caused by a mutation in one of two genes, PKHD1 or PKHD2. There are two kinds of PKD, Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD), and Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD). ADPKD is caused by a patient having one copy of the mutated gene, whereas ARPKD needs two copies to emerge. These two versions have similar symptoms and cause the development of cysts in the kidneys, leading to their failure.


 * ADPKD**, or "adult PKD,"is the most common inherited kidney disease. There is a 50% chance that a parent with ADPKD will pass it onto their child. About 90% of all PKD patients have ADPKD. This version is the less serious of the two, and patients may live most of their adult life without developing symptoms. Only a few cases of ADPKD start to reveal themselves in childhood. When the disease is progressed enough to develop symptoms, cysts form in the filtering units of the kidneys, called nephrons. The cysts grow and enlarge the kidney until the kidney weighs up to 20 or 30 pounds. A kidney with PKD is shown below.



These cysts can cause many complications, such as:
 * high blood pressure
 * kidney stones
 * urinary tract infections
 * aneurysms in the brain
 * abnormal heart valves
 * blood in the urine (hematuria)
 * small bulges out of the colon (diverticulosis)


 * ARPKD**, or "infantile PKD," is a very rare, but serious, type of PKD. Symptoms can occur very early in life, even when the fetus is still developing in the womb. ARPKD can only be developed in a child if both parents have ARPKD or are carriers. Even so, only about 25% of children will actually develop the disease in this scenario. If only one parent has ARPKD, the child's only risk is of becoming a carrier. If a child is born with ARPKD, they often develop kidney failure early in life. In severe cases, newborn will not survive due to respiratory problems caused by the disease. Even if a patient does not develop symptoms early on, they, like all ARPKD patients, have increased problems of liver scarring as an adult. This type of PKD rarely causes development of large cysts, but the kidneys are visibly abnormal in shape. The liver and spleen are also greatly affected.



Symptoms of ARPKD include:
 * high blood pressure
 * urinary tract infections
 * frequent urination
 * low blood cell counts
 * varicose veins
 * hemorrhoids
 * growth problems

Both versions of PKD can be treated with medications, diet, and in more serious cases, transplants or kidney dialysis. There is no cure for PKD, but transplanted kidneys will not develop cysts or other abnormalities caused by this disease.

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