Normal kidneys are typically the size of a human fist. Polycystic kidneys, however, can grow to be the size of a football or larger and weigh as much as 38 pounds each. PKD causes fluid-filled cysts to form in the kidneys, disrupting their ability to remove harmful toxins from the body. Cysts are sacs of fluid that cause the kidney to enlarge and hinder its filtering ability. A single cyst on a kidney attacked by PKD may be as large as an orange or a grapefruit.
Cysts also squeeze blood vessels, forcing increased blood pressure.
Because of this, the first symptom of Polycystic Kidney Disease is often high blood pressure. Other symptoms include fatigue, frequent urination, headaches or urinary tract infections. Complications of the disease can be brain aneurysms, mitral valve prolapse in the heart, infections, chronic flank or back pain, pancreas or liver cysts, enlarged heart, groin or abdominal hernias and diverticulitis of the colon. As the disease progresses, the majority of PKD patients suffer from kidney failure. Dialysis and transplantation are available treatments for kidney failure, however both have side effects and neither cures a person of the disease.