Symptoms

Say that you, or someone you know, has a mother with Polycystic Kidney Disease and a father who is unaffected. You know that therefore, you have a 50% chance of being affected with PKD later in life. Right now you are in your 20s and have not had any concerning symptoms. This is considered completely normal and healthy to not have any presenting symptoms for years. You know that within the next ten years, you could be at risk for this disease. What kinds of things should you watch out for?

You might have high blood pressure due to the fact that your kidneys have compromised space and must work harder to push blood through, causing a back-up of blood in your circulatory system. Your heart will want to work harder, but the kidneys will not work any faster, adding to the build-up of blood in your system.

You might have a headache. This is caused by accumulation of fluid in the head. It is related to the increase in blood pressure, as the higher blood pressure of the veins and arteries in your head fight for the limited amount of space inside your skull.

You might feel back pain or side pain, where the kidneys are. The kidneys are growing in size and adding pressure to your organs and supporting musculature.



You might see an increase in the size of your abdomen, related to the growing kidneys. They are pushing the other organs forward, potentially causing your abdomen to bulge.

You might often have to urinate, or have blood in your urine. It's not known exactly why this happens, but it is related to the fact that the kidneys are struggling so much harder.

You might have kidney stones, since the kidneys are struggling and not filtering as well.

Pain and urinary tract infection are often the first things that bring people in to the doctor, as they are easily noticeable by the affected person. High blood pressure, headache, and abnormal urine may be harder to notice.

If any of these things are happening, you should definitely go see your doctor. It is best to ask around in your family to see if there is any history of Polycystic Kidney Disease, so that you can let your doctor know about this history.


Barua M, and Pei, Y. Diagnosis of autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease: an integrated approach. Seminar Nephrology. 2010, 30(4):356-65. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20807608 Accessed 22 January 2015.

Polycystic Kidney Disease. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/polycystic-kidney-disease/basics/symptoms/con-20028831 Accessed 22 January 2015