Kidney Cyst
Symptoms
Kidney cysts begin appearing on a person's kidney
due to the onset of a disease called Polycystic Kidney Disease
(PKD). Before we go on to discuss the main kidney cyst
symptoms we will first look at what Polycystic Kidney Disease
is and who is affected. Polycystic Kidney Disease is primarily an
inherited condition, although as we will see this is not always the
case. The most common form is known as autosomal dominant PKD. 90%
of people with PKD are autosomal dominant. In this form, the person
only needs to inherit the abnormal gene from the one of their
parents that are affected, giving them a 1 in 2 chance of
developing PKD.
The other form of inherited PKD is known as autosomal recessive
PKD. This affects children and requires that they inherit the
abnormal gene from both of their affected parents. This results in
a 1 in 4 possibility of inheriting PKD, with around 1 in 10,000
babies being affected. There is a third type of PKD which someone
can get, even if neither of their parents possesses the abnormal
gene that causes PKD. This form of PKD is typically brought on as a
result of long term kidney problems, dialysis or old age. So, what
are the kidney cyst symptoms you should look out for?
Kidney cyst symptoms for the autosomal form will generally start
to appear in the sufferer during mid life. However, the afflicted
person may not start to experience the symptoms for several years
after the cysts have begun to develop. The typical symptoms of
kidney cyst problems include:
- Headaches
- Urinary tract infections
- Pain and aches, and sometimes sudden and harsh pain in the
abdomen and lower back
- Blood appearing amongst urine
Unfortunately, there is no cure for kidney cyst symptoms so
affected people can only take measures to try and relieve the pain
and lengthen their lives. If you begin to experience any of the
symptoms described above, it is of course strongly advisable to
book an appointment with your doctor immediately.
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