Patients with PKD should Pay More Attention to Their Daily Habits

Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is a genetic disease and may accompany patients’ whole life. As the cysts enlarge, they will damage their renal function thus causing Renal Insufficiency. However, the disease can not be cured by present medical therapies. Therefore, it is very important for patients to take precautionary measures against the development of the disease so as to avoid damage to kidney. So what should the patients with PKD do in their daily life? As follows:

1. Prevent trauma.

The enlarging cysts will cause the intracapsular pressure to increase continually, which will result in their kidneys enlarging. At that time, a slight trauma may lead the cysts to rupture and bleed thus causing infection, which can make the disease worse. Therefore, it is very important for patients with PKD to prevent trauma as possible as they can. Moreover, they should avoid violent exercises in their daily life so as to avoid damage to their kidney.

2. Control their blood pressure effectively.

High blood pressure is the most risk factor in PKD. It not only can speed up the damage to the exacerbation of renal function, but also can cause much damage to heart, brain vessels and so on. Therefore, it is very important for patients with PKD to control their blood pressure very well so as to delay the damage to their kidney and prevent its complications.

3. Keep a healthy dietary habit.

A proper dietotherapy plays an important role in treating PKD, which can prevent the exacerbation of their renal function. Therefore, the patients should pay more attention to what they eat.

(1) They should keep a low salt diet. Generally speaking, they should keep their intake of salt within 3 grams a day.

(2)As the kidneys of patients can not discharge the potassium in body, it may cause hyperkalemia to the patients. Therefore, they should avoid eating food that contains high potassium such as orange, potato, banana, spinach, peach, edible mushroom and so on.

(3) Avoid eating food that contains high phosphorus.

For patients with PKD, their kidneys fail to discharge the phosphorus, which can cause hyperphosphoremia thus accelerating the deterioration of their renal function. Therefore, the patients with PKD should avoid eating food that contains high phosphorus as possible as they can.

(4) Keep a low protein diet.

As patients with PKD can not discharge the protein in their, the accumulation of protein in their body will damage their normal renal function. Moreover, the metabolite of protein will accelerate the renal fibrosis. Therefore, patients with PKD should limit the intake of protein within 2 grams every day. In addition, they should avoid the intake of vegetable protein such as bean and bean products and peanut.


Besides treatment, patients with PKD should pay more attention to their daily habits. If so, they will be able to prevent the development of the disease effectively so as to decline the damage to their renal function and get a better recovery.