What Are the Clinical Symptoms of Polycystic Kidney Disease

Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is a common cystic kidney disease. It is a genetic kidney disease and can run in the family. In most cases, patients do not have symptom until their adult. As they grow older, the size and numbers increase gradually so they will have a series of symptoms. As follows:

1.Kidney enlargement

As the cysts grow up, the patients’ kidneys will also have obvious enlargement. When PKD develops into terminal and end stage, their kidney can cover the whole enterocoelia.

2. Loin pain.

Loin pain is an obvious symptom of PKD. Usually, the patients have dull pain, but sometimes they feel intensively painful. In their daily life, labor, excessive exercise and so on can enhance their pain.

3. Hematuria

Hematuria includes two types: gross hematuria and microscopic hematuria. When patients just have microscopic hematuria, the number of red blood cells increases under microscop, but their urine color is still normal with visual study. When patients have obvious gross hematuria, the urine color becomes tea-colored or cola-colored.

4. Hypertension

As cysts enlarge, they will oppress the neighbouring renal tissues thus affecting the blood circulation. Moreover, patients’ renal function declines. Therefore, the hormones such as rein and angiotonase that regulates blood pressure declines. As a result, the patients will have hypertension.

5. Proteinuria.

For patients with PKD, their renal structure is damaged. Therefore, the glomeruli lose their barrieraction. Moreover, the kidney tubules can not reabsorb the leaked protein. As a result, patients will find mass protein in their urine.

6. Edema.

Some patients with PKD have obvious edema. It is mainly caused by the retention of water and sodium and proteinuria.

7. Incresed nocturnal urination.

For normal people, their nocturnal urination is about 1/3 of urination in day time. However, for patients with PKD, renal tubule's concentrating ability declines. Therefore, mass initial urine produced by kidney will be discharged out of body.


The above article has described the main symptoms of PKD. If patients have the above abnormal symptoms, they should receive treatment at once so as to prevent the further damage to their renal function.