The Early Symptoms of PKD

1. Kidney enlarges. The enlargement of two kidneys are not at the same speed, but in the later period, two kidneys will occupy the whole space in abdomen, and they are bestrewed with cysts of different sizes. The surface of kidneys will be hard and full of bumps and hollows.
2. Pain in renal area. This is a very obvious feeling for most of the sufferers with PKD. The pain is usually dull pain, sometimes the sufferers feel pressed in the kidney area, or they just have abdominal pain. This kind of pain will remit after rest in bed while be aggravated after long-time work or walk. Bleeding and infection in kidneys and kidney stone are all inducements for the pain in renal area.
3. Blood in urine. Nearly half of the patients have microscopic hematuria and in some cases, gross hematuria can also be seen. Hematuria is always accompanied by leucocyturia and proteinuria, but the protein in urine is not too much. When there is infection in kidney, hematuria will become severer, and there will also be loin pain and fever.
4. High blood pressure. This is the common manifestation of ADPKD. After the onset of creatinine elevation, about half of the patients will have higher blood pressure. It is because the cysts press kidney tissues so as to activate the system of RAAS (Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone System). Besides, the higher the blood pressure is, the fast the kidney cysts grow, and also the poorer the prognosis will be.
5. Kidney insufficiency. It will invade almost all the sufferers with PKD, but the onset will vary in different cases. Some patients will have kidney insufficiency during adolescence, while others may keep normal kidney function even in their eighties.
6. Polycystic Liver Disease (PLD). Almost half of the sufferers with PKD have PLD as well. However, the cysts in liver grow relatively slower. In addition, cysts can also be found in ovary and pancreas.