What Is the Life Expectancy for Patients With Polycystic Kidney Disease

Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD or PCKD, also known as polycystic kidney syndrome) is a cystic genetic disorder of the kidneys.[1] There are two types of PKD: Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) and the less-common Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD).
Then What Is the Life Expectancy for Patients With Polycystic Kidney Disease?
Actually, lifespan for PKD patients would be quite hard to predict. Because it not only decided by cyst size, but also related with patients’ general condition. As well know, PKD patients would complicate with polycystic liver, polycystic pancreas as well as aneurysma etc. Upper respiratory tract diseases, like cold, cough and asthema, might exacerbate the inflammatory reaction in the body. These inflammatory factors can decrease your immunity and your renal function will get damaged as well. Liver, pancreas are very important organs which can secrete bile and insulin respectively. Once these parts get invaded by cysts, their original function would be disrupted and internal systems will face a disorder. In that case, patients can not expect an longer lifespan.
Traditional treatments for cysts are cyst decortications and tapping. These treatments are surgeries, which remove the fluids with a minimally invasive injury. We have to acknowledge these treatments are effective to remove big cysts in a short time. Whereas, they can do nothing to settle small cysts. Over time, small cysts will enlarge rapidly because they have get less pressure caused by big cysts. In this case, patients have to endure many times operation. As we know these operations are invasive, they are probably to injure renal parenchyma. Herewith, invasive surgery may not benefit patients but exacerbate their condition.
Patients with Polycystic Kidney Disease should avoid conflicting exercises, say play boxing, play basketball as well as other sports. They should not bend so frequently when some symptoms appear say, blood urine, high blood pressure, proteinuria etc., because bending can make cysts rupture. At last but not least, patients should take some conservative treatment to shrink their cysts rather than take surgery constantly, clinical experience show that patients take conservative treatment can effectively prevent renal canceration and suffer from less pains.