kidney and urinary tract disorders
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)
Symptoms of Polycystic Kidney Disease
In the rare, recessive form of PKD that begins during childhood, the cysts become very large and cause the abdomen to protrude. A severely affected newborn may die shortly after birth because kidney failure can develop in the fetus, leading to poor development of the lungs. The liver is also affected, and at 5 to 10 years of age, a child with this disorder tends to develop Portal Hypertension , or high pressure in the blood vessels that connect the intestine and the liver (portal system). Eventually, In the more common, dominant form of PKD, the cysts develop slowly in number and size. Typically, symptoms begin in early or middle adulthood, most often while people are in their 20s. Sometimes symptoms are so mild that people with the disease will live their whole life without ever having known they had the disorder. Symptoms usually include discomfort or Flank Pain (flank) or abdomen, 