Polycystic kidney disease is a complex, often genetic, disease in which a large number of fluid-filled cavities develop in the organ. At the first stages, the symptoms are not bright, so the patient in most cases endures and is in no hurry to see a doctor. With this disease, the ability of the kidneys to remove toxins and other harmful substances worsens. This disrupts the functionality of the whole organism.
General description of the disease
Polycystic kidney disease impairs the ability of the excretory system to remove harmful substances and waste products from the body. In this case, toxins accumulate in the tissues, destroying them. If neoplasms increase, then they damage neighboring areas of the kidneys and other organs. At the same time, the patient's blood pressure begins to rise.
In the absence of treatment or its untimely implementation, polycystic kidney disease passes into the thermal stage, while the organs cannot properly purify the blood. Here the patient is required to undergo hemodialysis several times a week. In difficult cases forsaving a person's life requires a kidney transplant. The disease is especially dangerous for women who are carrying a child.
The risk of cyst formation in the kidneys, as well as in neighboring organs, increases with age. In addition, the disease is more often observed in the fairer sex. If at the initial stages of the development of pathology a person has no symptoms, then later the signs appear very brightly.
Causes of pathology
Polycystic kidney disease can be congenital or acquired. In the second case, the cause of the development of the disease is:
- Constant stable increase in blood pressure.
- Injury to internal organs or kidney surgery.
- Stagnation of primary urine.
- Deformation of renal structures.
- Increased pressure in the tubules of the organ.
Congenital pathology is caused by genetic mutations, improper development of the excretory system due to an unfavorable pregnancy. Polycystic kidney disease in children is considered a serious condition in which a fatal outcome can occur. This is especially true for newborns.
To save a baby's life, therapy should start from the moment of birth, as the problem can be seen with ultrasound even in fetal development.
Disease forms
Polycystosis of the liver and kidneys makes life even more difficult for a person, since it is necessary to fight for both vital organs. In general, there are several types of pathology:
- Autosomal recessive. Polycystic disease develops due to a violation in the formation of genes. Most often it is diagnosed in newborn babies. There is a significant increase in the organ, in which the urinary canals are compressed.
- Autosomal dominant. This disease is found in patients who have crossed the 30-year milestone. Genetic mutation is also to blame here. Both kidneys are affected, in which numerous cysts form.
And you can also classify pathologies like this:
- Closed. Cysts in this case do not have a message with the tubules (diagnosed in infants).
- Open. In this case, the lumen of the tubules associated with the renal pelvis becomes wider. The organ can still function normally for a long time.
Whatever the form of the disease, it must be treated. Otherwise, the life expectancy of a person will be reduced.
Stages of disease progression
ICD code for polycystic kidney disease Q.61. The pathology develops gradually. Along the way, the disease goes through several stages:
- Compensated. Symptoms in this case are blurry. Over time, they become stronger. In general, the work of the excretory system is not yet disturbed.
- Subcompensated. This is where kidney failure comes in. Sometimes suppuration occurs in the cyst.
- Decompensated (thermal). In this case, the patient develops chronic uremia. If a secondary infection joins, then the risk of death increases. The patient constantlyblood pressure rises, which leads to the development of other serious pathologies.
Pay attention to the symptoms of pathology as early as possible. In this case, it is possible to save the organ and ensure its normal functionality.
Symptoms and signs of pathology
Polycystic kidney disease (ICD classifies it as a group of "cystic kidney disease") begins to progress rapidly after 45 years. At the same time, the cyst cavities are filled with fluid and can spread to neighboring organs. In the early stages, the disease is asymptomatic. Further, a person has such signs of pathology:
- Presence of blood in the urine.
- Formation of stones in the kidneys.
- Change in pressure.
- Presence of an infection in the genitourinary system.
- Permanent general weakness, lethargy, fatigue.
- Protrusion of the abdominal wall.
- Chronic kidney failure.
- Lying on the back, a person feels significant discomfort.
- Constant desire to drink water (with parenchyma shrinkage).
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Problems with the defecation process.
- Itchy skin.
- Loss of appetite.
In the early stages, the patient often experiences nagging mild pain in the lower back. If they recur, then you should definitely contact a nephrologist and be examined.
Diagnostic features
Polycystic kidney disease is not a death sentence. The main thing is to start treatment on time. This requires a thorough diagnosis, which includes:
- Fixing patient complaints. The person should tell when the pains began to appear, what was the discomfort. The doctor also needs to know if the patient has inflammatory kidney disease.
- Assessment of a person's history, determination of a hereditary factor.
- Palpation of the kidneys and abdomen.
- Laboratory tests of blood and urine.
- Ultrasound of the kidneys. Here, not only the size of the organs is determined, but also their structure.
- Detection of glomerular filtration rate.
- Urography with contrast medium.
- CT. Thanks to this study, the exact number and localization of neoplasms is revealed.
- Nephroscintigraphy.
- ECG (additional diagnostic method).
Also, before treating polycystic kidney disease, you need to consult a geneticist to refute or confirm a hereditary predisposition.
Possible Complications
If a person has symptoms of polycystic kidney disease, you should immediately consult a doctor. If this is not done in a timely manner, then the pathology is fraught with such complications:
- Rupture of the cyst, which is accompanied by severe pain. In this condition, internal bleeding opens, so surgery is necessary.
- Kidney failure.
- Aneurysm.
- Pyelonephritis.
- Changing the blood formula.
- Development of the inflammatory process inside the cyst.
- Squeezing neighboring organs, as a result of which a person's blood pressure changes.
- Irregular heart rate.
- Problems with the functionality of all body systems.
- Sepsis.
- Stroke.
Such complications can cause self-medication.
Traditional and surgical treatment of the disease
Cats also have polycystic kidney disease. It must be fought, as the animal may die. For people, therapy involves the following tasks:
- Relieve symptoms with medication.
- Lifestyle change. Polycystic kidney disease is a serious kidney disease that requires dieting, avoiding alcohol and junk food.
- Restriction of physical activity.
- Compliance with the drinking regimen. For the normal functioning of the excretory system, you need to drink at least 2 liters of liquid (juices, compotes, plain water).
As for drugs, the following drugs are prescribed to the patient:
- Analgesics: Ketorolac, Baralgin. They relieve discomfort.
- Antibiotics: Amoxiclav, Azithromycin. Antibiotics are needed only if a microbial infection has joined the underlying disease.
- Urological antiseptics: "Furazolidone". In this case, drugs are needed when the infection of the urethra is affected.
- Means that reduceblood pressure, and diuretics: Aldactone. The drug allows you to stabilize daily diuresis, as well as eliminate excess fluid from the body. It leads to the formation of puffiness, a change in pressure, which negatively affects the kidneys.
- Drugs to compensate for protein deficiency: Ketosteril.
To prevent anemia, a person will have to take iron supplements. If the cause of the development of pathology is a genetic mutation, then it will not be possible to completely get rid of it. With a serious violation of the function of the excretory system, a person needs a hemodialysis procedure.
If traditional treatment does not give a positive effect, and the patient's condition continues to deteriorate rapidly, then he is prescribed emergency surgery. The indications for the surgical procedure are:
- Renal colic accompanied by severe pain.
- Multiple small lesions affecting both kidneys.
- Severe course of polycystic disease, complicated by a purulent process.
Sometimes palliative (relieving a person's condition) removal of cysts is performed. As for operations, there are several types: puncture of the cyst with the removal of the contents of the neoplasm, laparoscopy, replacement of the affected kidney with a donor organ.
Folk recipes
Folk treatment of polycystic kidney disease is allowed only in combination with drugs and after consultation with a doctor. The following recipes will be useful:
- Decoction of burdock leaves. It takes 25 g of the plant and 450 ml of boiling water. After insisting, the remedy is used three times a day.
- Echinacea tincture. You need to take it 20 drops 3 times a day. The course of therapy is 9 months.
- Thistle infusion. Take a glass of boiling water and 1 tbsp. l. dry grass. It takes 3 hours to infuse. The resulting volume must be drunk per day, dividing the liquid into 3 doses.
- Garlic tincture. Requires half a kilogram of chopped vegetables and half a liter of boiled liquid. Next, the thick part is removed, and the mixture itself is infused for a month in a dark place. Use the remedy should be 2 tbsp. l. The liquid is pre-dissolved in milk (100 ml).
- Tincture of mullein and calendula flowers. The components are combined in equal proportions. Plants should be placed in a dark glass container. Next, the mixture is poured with vodka so that it is completely covered. The remedy is infused for 2 weeks. After that, it is filtered and consumed 1 dessert spoon three times a day before meals. After 5 days, the person needs to switch to another dosage: 1 tablespoon.
Treatment of polycystic kidney disease with folk remedies should not go into monotherapy. Medications cannot be excluded from the scheme.
In order for the treatment to be as effective as possible, it is important to follow these recommendations:
- Do not overstrain the nervous system, avoid strong emotional outbursts.
- Do not overwork physically.
- Monitor blood pressure.
- Remove spicy food from the menu, reduce s alt intake.
- At the first symptoms of pathologyget examined.
- Resting more in the fresh air, adjusting the daily routine, in which night sleep plays an important role.
- Strengthen immunity.
If polycystic kidney disease (reviews about its treatment are different) does not make itself felt, and the neoplasms do not increase in size, then the patient is required to undergo ultrasound diagnostics every six months to monitor the condition of the affected organ.
Prevention of pathology
With timely treatment and proper monitoring, the prognosis for polycystic kidney disease is relatively favorable. With regard to prevention, there are no specific preventive measures. To prevent the acquired form of the disease, the following recommendations should be followed:
- It is correct and timely to get rid of infectious and inflammatory processes that affected the genitourinary system.
- Try not to get too cold.
- Exclude serious physical activity, contact sports, emotional outbursts.
- Give up cigarettes and alcohol.
- Once a year, monitor the condition of the kidneys with ultrasound, take blood and urine tests.
- Pass preventive examinations at the nephrologist and urologist.
- Eat right: limit your intake of s alt and foods containing potassium (chips, dried fruits, potatoes). Eat only lean meats.
- Drink enough liquid per day if the person does not develop edema.
- Constantly monitor blood pressure and keep it stable.
- Strengthen the body with vitamin preparations, physicalexercise, walks in the fresh air.
- Refuse strong tea, coffee and other caffeinated drinks.
Polycystic kidney disease is a serious pathology that can cause organ failure, so you should not delay visiting a doctor when the first symptoms appear.
