How to Treat Polycystic Kidney Disease
Polycystic kidney disease is a kidney disease that develops slowly over a long period of time. Polycystic kidney disease is a hereditary disease in which clusters of cysts appear in the kidneys. Then how to treat polycystic kidney disease? Check out the explanation here.
Cysts in polycystic kidney disease are benign or noncancerous lumps filled with fluid resembling water. The appearance of many cysts in the kidneys can cause impaired kidney function. In addition to causing impaired kidney function, polycystic kidney disease can also cause complications such as the growth of cysts in other parts of the body.
Symptoms of Polycystic Kidney Disease
Not all patients with polycystic kidney disease have symptoms since the beginning of the growth of the cyst. Usually, the symptoms of polycystic kidney disease will only be felt when the cyst has grown large enough.
Some of the symptoms that can appear in polycystic kidney disease are as follows:
- Frequent urination
- Urinary tract infection
- Urine containing blood (hematuria)
- Formation of kidney stones
- Lower back pain
- Enlarged belly size
- Stomach ache
- High blood pressure
In addition to some signs and symptoms related to the kidneys, there are also several other symptoms that can appear in people with polycystic kidney disease, namely:
- Headache
- Pain in joints
- Weak
- Skin turns pale
- Easy bruising skin
- Abnormalities in nails
Symptoms of polycystic kidney disease can sometimes be seen since the baby is still in the womb. Polycystic kidney disease in the fetus can be characterized by enlarged kidneys, fetal size that is not in accordance with gestational age and little amniotic fluid.
Causes of Polycystic Kidney Disease
Polycystic kidney disease is generally caused by abnormalities or defects in genes that can be passed from parents to children. There are two types of polycystic kidney disease based on genetic defects, namely:
1. ARPKD (Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease)
ARPKD is a type of polycystic kidney disease whose symptoms have appeared since childhood and even in the womb. If both parents have ARPKD, then each child has a 25% risk of developing ARPKD.
2. ADPKD (Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease)
ADPKD is the most common type of polycystic kidney disease. Symptoms usually appear in people who are adults, between the ages of 30 to 40 years. If one parent has ADPKD, then each child has a 50% risk of suffering from ADPKD.
Apart from heredity, genetic changes can also cause polycystic kidney disease. This type of polycystic kidney disease is known as acquired cystic kidney disease (ACKD). ACKD is a rare type of polycystic kidney disease and usually occurs in people with kidney failure.
How to Cure Polycystic Kidney Disease
If you feel the symptoms of polycystic kidney disease as mentioned above, immediately check your health with a doctor. The doctor will ask your family medical history because polycystic kidney disease is a hereditary disease. After that, the doctor will perform a physical examination such as urine and blood tests.
To further confirm the diagnosis and determine the type of polycystic kidney disease you are suffering from, the doctor will need to perform scanning tests, such as ultrasound, CT scan or X-rays.
The goal of treatment for polycystic kidney disease is to relieve symptoms and prevent complications. How to manage polycystic kidney disease is to control blood pressure within normal limits because this is the main step. In addition, there are also several other ways that can be done are:
1. Changing lifestyle
Changing a healthier lifestyle can help slow or prevent complications, such as kidney failure. Some of the healthy lifestyles that can be done include the following:
- Maintain ideal body weight
- Exercise regularly for 30 minutes every day
- Adequate and regular sleep for 7 to 8 hours every day
- Manage stress well
- Do not smoke
2. Keep the diet
To help control blood pressure and maintain kidney health you need to maintain a good diet. The recommended diet for people with polycystic kidney disease is:
- Meet fluid needs by drinking enough water
- Increase consumption of fiber, such as vegetables, fruit, and whole grains
- Reduce salty food
- Limit caffeine and alcohol consumption
3. Taking blood pressure medication
If lifestyle and dietary changes do not work to lower blood pressure, you can take high blood pressure medications, such as ARBs and ACE inhibitors. With stable blood pressure, complications of kidney failure can be prevented.
If there are disorders that accompany polycystic kidney disease, the doctor can also provide other treatments, such as paracetamol to relieve pain and antibiotics if a urinary tract infection appears.
Until now, there is no cure for polycystic kidney disease. The goal of treatment is to prevent complications.
Until now, there has not been found a drug to cure polycystic kidney disease. Treatment is carried out with the aim of preventing complications.
Complications of Polycystic Kidney Disease
Along with the increasing size and number of cysts in patients with polycystic kidney disease, it can cause various complications including:
- Kidney failure
- Spread of cysts to liver, pancreas, and testes
- Cyst rupture
- Disorders of the heart
- Heart disease
- Diverticulitis
- Complications during pregnancy
- Aneurysm of the brain
- Cataract
The most common complication of polycystic kidney disease is kidney failure. If you have kidney failure, you will need to undergo kidney replacement therapy, such as dialysis or a kidney transplant.
How to Prevent Polycystic Kidney Disease
How to avoid polycystic kidney disease is very difficult, this is because polycystic kidney disease is a hereditary disease. Prevention efforts are made more aimed at preventing and reducing the risk of complications.
That's an explanation of how to treat polycystic kidney disease, hopefully this explanation is useful.
