What causes Edema and Fatigue with PKD

Polycystic Kidney Disease causes cysts to grow in the kidneys. Autosomal dominant PKD is the most common form of the disease, with symptoms usually develop between the ages of 30 and 40. Common symptoms of PKD are high blood pressure, pain related to enlarged kidneys and blood in the urine. Edema and fatigue can also be signs of this disorder. Then what are the causes?

Edema with PKD

The kidneys are important organs to remove the water and sodium in the body. For a person with PKD, the cysts will grow in size with age, and the enlarged cysts will oppress the normal around tissues and damage the renal functions. So there will be water and sodium retention in the body.

Specific causes of edema in PKD include: the decline of glomerular filtrating function; the changes of permeability of systematic blood capillary causes the water entry the tissue space; the decrease of plasma osmotic pressure occurs due to reduced plasma albumin; the decrease of effective blood volume lead to an increase of aldosterone.

Fatigue with PKD

People who have fatigue will be tired and weak all the time. They may lack energy and may not find relief through rest. One reason for fatigue can be anemia, a shortage of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. People with advanced stage of PKD often have anemia due to damaged kidneys make less of a hormone called erythropoietin, or EPO. EPO tells the bone marrow to make new red cells. With deficient supply of RBCs, the body has less oxygen. This makes patients more tired.

Sometimes, constant unexplained fatigue or the feeling of being tired all the time can appear when the concentration of certain chemicals in the blood builds up to toxic levels due to decreased kidney function.