Polycystic Kidney Disease is a genetically inherited disease that involves cysts that grow throughout the kidneys. These cysts cause numerous health problems, such as high blood pressure, fatigue, frequent urination, and low back pain. As time goes on, the disease begins to affect other organs, such as the liver, pancreas, heart, and brain.
Cysts begin as a blisterlike structure on the kidney.
Over time, these cysts enlarge and may fill with clear fluid or fluid that contains blood cells. Thus, it is difficult to predict what one family member will face based on what happened in older generations. The disease often causes significant mortality in the first month of life. It is important to make an appointment with a pediatric nephrologist if your child has this disease, because it is so rare. Ultrasound, generally agreed upon to be the best screening method, looks for cysts in the kidneys.