Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)? If so, you may be wondering what the causes of polycystic kidneys are. To answer this question is to understand that PKD is a genetic disease brought about by the transfer of an abnormal, mutated gene from one or both of the parents. Well, this is a slight lie - there is a rare form of the disease which can be gotten from old age and a pattern of dialysis, amongst other reasons. There are two forms of the disease which are genetic - autosomal dominant PKD and autosomal recessive PKD.

To understand the cause of polycystic kidneys, it is worthwhile to take a closer look at these 2 forms of PKD. This first form we will discuss is autosomal dominant PKD which affects around 90% of the 7 million people worldwide who have this life-threatening disease. In order to inherit the abnormal gene, the child need only receive the abnormal gene from the one affected parent. This means they have a 1 in 2 chance of inheriting the gene and hence suffering from autosomal dominant PKD in mid to late life, when it is likely to occur.

The other, rarer from of genetic PKD is autosomal recessive PKD. This is the childhood form of the disease which afflicts 1 in 20,000 people. In this type of PKD, the child must inherit the abnormal gene from both affected parents, giving them a 1 in 4 chance of suffering from the disease. Now that the gene that causes PKD has been discovered, couples can undergo family planning counseling to discuss the possibility if their offspring developing PKD.

Hopefully this article clears up what the causes of polycystic kidneys are. Of course, if you feel you may be experiencing any of the common symptoms such as blood in the urine, urinary tract infections and abdomen/lower back pain it is highly recommended to visit your doctor.

Need to learn more about Polycystic Kidney Disease? Be sure to check out Kidney Cyst Symptoms, which contains in-depth information on the causes of Polycystic Kidney Disease and much more.

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