Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)

What are the signs and symptoms of polycystic kidneys?

The signs and symptoms of polycystic kidneys depend on size, number and location of the cysts.

Children with a few small cysts can have kidneys that function well and don’t show any signs or symptoms, so they may go undiagnosed.

Large cysts can cause abdominal pain, discomfort and can affect the way in which the kidneys and urinary tract function. If the cysts are large enough, your child's doctor may feel them on a physical exam and then request an ultrasound, which can produce images of the inside of the abdomen using high-frequency sound waves.

When the cysts on the kidney are affecting kidney function, signs and symptoms can include:

• High blood pressure causing headaches
• Anemia (low red blood cell count) causing fatigue
• Extra protein in the urine, which can be discovered through a urine test
• Poor growth

What tests are used to diagnose polycystic kidneys?

Kidney imaging, typically using an ultrasound, will reveal whether your child has polycystic kidneys. If your child's doctor thinks the cysts are affecting kidney function, they will perform blood and urine tests, which will tell us how well your child's kidney is functioning.

How do we diagnose polycystic kidney disease?

We can diagnose polycystic kidneys with an imaging test such as an ultrasound. While many other kidney diseases require a kidney biopsy to confirm a diagnosis, a simple imaging test is usually enough to diagnose PKD. Depending on the circumstances, we may also test the blood and urine testing to assess the function of the kidneys. Your child's doctor will design a treatment plan based on this information.

We may also suggest genetic testing for your child and any other siblings to determine if they might have inherited the disease as well.

Polycystic kidney disease treatment

At Children's Hospital Colorado, we develop an individualized treatment plan based on the underlying disease that is causing the cysts, how the cysts are affecting kidney function and if other organs are being affected.

If your child is experiencing decreased kidney function, high blood pressure or proteinuria (high amount of proteins in the urine), doctors often recommend medications. Medication will slow the progression toward kidney failure, which would then require dialysis or kidney transplantation.

Why choose us for polycystic kidney disease treatment?

Pediatric experts in The Kidney Center at Children's Colorado have vast experience diagnosing and treating polycystic kidney conditions that occur in children. This experience ranges from consultations for parents whose baby has kidney cysts on prenatal ultrasounds, often in our Colorado Fetal Care Center, to providing dialysis and kidney transplantation through our Kidney Transplant Program.

For children who have polycystic kidney disease severe enough to require dialysis or transplantation, we offer the only dedicated pediatric dialysis facility and the only Kidney Transplant Program in the Rocky Mountain region. What's more, our Program is one of the biggest in the country. Additionally, we collaborate closely with the adult nephrology division at the University of Colorado, which has an internationally recognized PKD program featuring state-of-the-art treatments and research studies.

• The PKD Network is a community of people dedicated to increasing awareness, collaboration and information-sharing to improve the outcomes for individuals with about PKD.
• The PKD Foundation is the only organization in the U.S. solely dedicated to finding treatments and a cure for PKD through funding research, education, advocacy, support and awareness on a national and local level.