Polycystic kidney disease may be preventable
Kidney failure is a lifelong burden in hundreds of thousands of people who need to be treated either by dialysis or a kidney transplant. Both procedures significantly increase the cost of healthcare and reduce the quality of life.
A common cause of this condition is autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), affecting 1 in 500 to 1,000 patients. It is among the most common genetic diseases. New research shows that simply preventing stone formation in the kidneys could potentially arrest this condition and preserve renal function. The research paper titled, 'Crystal deposition triggers tubule dilation that accelerates cystogenesis in polycystic kidney disease', is published in the The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
APKD is characterized by the progressive growth of cysts forming within the kidney, damaging the filtration tissue, and ending in kidney failure in about half of all cases. No medical treatment exists, though a new drugs has recently been approved which inhibits the activity of the vasopressin receptor. However, this agent is costly and may damage the liver in some cases, besides promoting excessive water loss from the body through urine.
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