Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a common genetic kidney disorder that causes fluid-filled cysts to grow in your kidneys. Over time, these cysts can prevent your kidneys from working properly and may cause kidney failure.
UPMC experts provide personalized, multidisciplinary care for people with PKD. Their goal is to slow the progression of the disease, manage symptoms, and reduce the risk of complications.
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a common genetic disorder that causes fluid-filled cysts to grow in your kidneys. Over time, these cysts can prevent your kidneys from working properly and may cause kidney failure.
There are two types of PKD, including:
PKD happens when one or both biological parents pass a mutated gene to their child.
If you have a biological relative with PKD, you are at higher risk of developing PKD or carrying a mutated gene that you could pass to your child.
Over time, PKD can cause complications such as:
PKD is usually an inherited condition passed from parent to child. In some cases, PKD can develop through a gene that mutated on its own but was not inherited. There is nothing you can do to prevent PKD.
PKD is a common genetic kidney disorder affecting about 500,000 people in the U.S. ADPKD occurs in approximately 1 in 400 to 1,000 people worldwide, while ARPKD occurs in approximately 1 in 20,000 to 40,000 children worldwide. About 90% of people diagnosed with PKD have ADPKD.
Symptoms of ADPKD in adults include:
ARPKD can sometimes be diagnosed before birth with a prenatal ultrasound. The ultrasound may show that the baby has larger-than-average kidneys, cysts on the kidneys, or low amniotic fluid levels.
Signs of ARPKD in children after birth include:
If you have PKD, you may have sharp, stabbing pain in your back or the side of your abdomen that comes on suddenly, usually caused by a burst cyst, kidney stone, or urinary tract infection. You may also have chronic pain caused by enlarged kidneys or liver that feels like a nagging, dull ache that doesn’t go away.
If you or your child has symptoms of PKD, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor right away — especially if a family member has also been diagnosed with PKD.
If you have already received a PKD diagnosis and have worsening symptoms, you should call your doctor.
Signs that your symptoms are getting worse may include:
PKD is usually diagnosed with an imaging test such as a kidney ultrasound, prenatal ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI.
During your visit, your doctor will:
PKD is usually diagnosed with imaging tests, including:
In addition to imaging tests to diagnose PKD, your doctor may order blood tests to determine how well your kidneys work.
Blood tests include:
Your doctor may also order urine tests, including:
There is no cure for PKD, and the outlook for people with PKD varies. With ongoing treatment and management, many people with PKD can live active lives. However, approximately 50% will experience kidney failure by age 60.
About 50% to 60% of people with ADPKD will have kidney failure by the time they are in their 60s or 70s, which will require treatment with dialysis or kidney transplant.
About a third of all babies born with ARPKD don’t survive their first month of life. Babies who survive their first month of life usually live into adulthood. About half of these children will develop kidney failure by age 15 to 20 and will need dialysis or kidney transplant.
There is no cure for PKD. However, researchers continue studying PKD to learn about the condition and find potential treatments.
The goals of PKD treatment are to:
Your PKD treatments may change over time as your condition progresses, but treatments will be lifelong.
Treatment options include:
Improving your overall health may help to slow the progression of PKD or reduce your risk of complications.
Your doctor may recommend that you:
A medication called tolvaptan can be used to slow the progression of ADPKD. Talk to your doctor to find out if this medication is right for you.
Your doctor may also recommend:
If your PKD progresses to end-stage kidney disease or kidney failure — which is defined as having less than 15% of your normal kidney function — it can cause toxic waste to build up in your body. You may need to have dialysis, also called renal replacement therapy, to filter and clean your blood.
During dialysis, a machine cleans waste from your blood and helps control your blood pressure.
There are two common types of dialysis:
If you have end-stage kidney disease, dialysis is a lifesaving treatment option. Without it, toxins and fluid would build up in your body and cause death within days or weeks.
However, for most people, dialysis is only a short-term treatment. In time, you may need a kidney transplant.
Although dialysis treatments are lifesaving for many people, they can be hard and sometimes painful for others.
For people with advanced kidney disease who want to avoid dialysis treatment, renal supportive care can offer hope and comfort.
Supportive care aims to:
If you have PKD that has caused kidney failure, a kidney transplant may be the key to getting you back to your healthy life.
You should talk to your doctor about whether a kidney transplant is an option for you. We partner with UPMC kidney transplant experts to provide care before, during, and after the transplant.
When you choose UPMC for PKD care, you will receive:
By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2025-04-24 by William Hoffman, MD.
