Polycystic kidney disease may lead to several health complications, including:
Kidney disease and failure
Your kidneys may gradually lose their filtering ability. End-stage kidney disease that requires dialysis or a kidney transplant to sustain life may occur if kidney function deteriorates to less than 10% of normal capacity.
Cyst in liver
If you have polycystic kidney disease, your risk of developing liver cysts increases with age. Women are the ones that often develop bigger cysts as female hormones and multiple pregnancies are related to the development of cyst in the liver.
Brain aneurysm
Having PKD increases your risk of getting brain aneurysm, a balloon-like bulge in the blood vessel.
Heart valve problems
Polycystic kidney disease increases the risk of developing mitral valve prolapse. In this condition, the heart valve could not properly close, prompting blood to leak backward.
Diverticulosis
If you have polycystic kidney disease, pockets known as diverticula can develop in the walls of your digestive tract.
Others
Patients with polycystic kidney disease are also at greater risk for certain types of kidney stones and certain forms of kidney tumours. Your nephrologist can recognise and manage these complications.