How is the family of a person with polycystic kidney disease affected?

Polycystic kidney disease is a disease resulting in the development of cysts on the kidneys and the surrounding areas. Such fluid and waste-filled cysts or sac-like membranes can affect children as well as adults or people in their adulthood. However, the signs can be seen only when they have reached their late 30’s.

There are two types of polycystic kidney disease, depending upon how it is acquired by the person.

      Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

ADPKD has signs and symptoms that appear in adulthood, though the cysts are present from birth. About 90% of the cases of ADPKD result because of the presence of faulty genes in one parent. 

         Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease

The inheritance pattern of ARPKD is quite different from that of the ADPKD. The mutation in genes of both the parents is responsible for the occurrence of ARPKD in the baby or fetus in the womb. The signs appear early in life when a baby is in the womb or early infancy.

No matter the type of PKD, the families of the person or baby with cysts get dramatically affected by the quality of the life their loved one is living.

The complications that a patient faces may also affect their loved ones. Breathing problems, low kidney function, poor growth of the liver are some of the complications that a PKD patient may get along with.

Kidney cysts affect both the children as well as adults. In the case of ARPKD, the life of the newborn gets in danger. Poor kidney function can cause the baby to have trouble taking breathing that can threaten their life — about 30% of the baby's die within the first few weeks of birth. In a rare case, if they survive birth, they have a good chance of surviving into adulthood. For the parents who have lost a child, their lives are changed forever.

How does PKD affect their daily life?

For adults with polycystic kidney disease, there is a need to bring about a lifestyle change, such as being more physically active, eating healthily, and working on the stress level. They need to visit their healthcare provider on a regular basis, to monitor the progression of the disease and any lifestyle or dietary changes they need to make keeping in mind their healthy state.

Ayurveda for polycystic kidney disease

Ayurveda is a way to cure kidney problems of their roots. This line of treatment is far the best approach to get rid of this hereditary condition. Ayurvedic herbs or medications tend to work on the kidneys at the cellular level. The mutation in the genes is the main factor held responsible for the occurrence of cysts. 

Thus, the ayurvedic herbs facilitate the rejuvenation of these genes so that the condition be averted from passing to the coming generations.

Ayurvedic medicines even make life free from dialysis when the kidney function gets severely reduced due to kidney cysts.