HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini
Polycystic kidney disease
Matenga whatumanawa huahua o te pakeke
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is where fluid-filled cysts form on your kidneys causing them to slowly enlarge. PKD can very slowly cause your kidneys to stop working properly.
Cysts can also grow in other parts of your body, such as your liver, brain and heart.
PKD is an inherited disease that is passed down from one or both of your parents. The commonest form of PKD is an autosomal dominant disease. This means that the tamariki (children) of an affected parent have a 50% chance of developing the condition. It is the most common form of inherited kidney disease.
People with PKD can develop a mild form of chronic kidney disease (CKD) that does not develop further or only does so in old age. For some people, the disease gets more severe and needs treatment.
Symptoms of PKD
It is common not to have any symptoms with PKD. But symptoms you might notice include:
- pain in your back or side – this is caused by the cysts
- a feeling of fullness in your tummy (abdomen) or your tummy getting bigger – caused by the cysts getting bigger
- blood in your urine – caused by the cysts bleeding
- urinary tract or kidney infections
- kidney stones.
PKD can cause high blood pressure, which does not usually cause any symptoms.
Diagnosing PKD
Your doctor might order the following tests:
- urine tests to check for protein and blood in your urine
- blood tests to check how well your kidneys are working
- ultrasound to look for cysts (although the cyst might be too small to show on ultrasound).
Treating PKD
While there is no cure for PKD, a drug called tolvaptan slows down the growth of cysts. This can delay the development of chronic kidney disease.
Treating high blood pressure is important to protect your kidney function.
There are several options for treating kidney failure including dialysis and a kidney transplant.
Following the advice on Looking after your kidneys is important to help keep your kidneys working.
If you have PKD, your general practice team might talk to you about screening your tamariki to find out if any of them have inherited the gene that causes PKD.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Patient.info – Polycystic kidney disease
Detailed information about polycystic kidney disease. Includes the different types, possible complications and the pros and cons of screening other whānau (family) members.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed March 2025.
SourcesReview key: HIKID-202879
