What is PKD? - Are there medications for kidney disease?

What is PKD?




This is Emily. She has been diagnosed
with polycystic kidney disease or PKD.
Her doctor told her that there's
currently no cure
and no treatment for the disease. She
has lots of questions about PKD
such as: Who is affected? How is it passed on
and what can she expect?
Emily visits pkdcure.org to see what information she could find.
She discovers that PKD is one of the most common,
life-threatening genetic diseases
affecting tens of thousands of Americans
and millions of people worldwide.
PKD impacts men and women alike
and all races and nationalities
equcally. There are two types of PKD:
ADPKD and ARPKD.
ADPKD is the more common type,
and the type that Emily has been
diagnosed with. It is usually passed from
parent to child.
Children of parents with ADPKD have
a 50 percent chance of having the disease.
As a result, ADPKD often affects many
people in one family,
however about 10 percent of people
diagnosed with
ADPKD have no family history of the
disease.
Instead, they have ADPKD
because of a spontaneous new mutation.
For people with ADPKD,
fluid-filled cysts grow in their kidneys
causing them to grow larger and larger.
Normal kidneys are about the size of a
fist. Polycystic kidneys
can get much larger, sometimes as big as a football
and can weigh as much as 30 pounds each.
Eventually, the cysts cause the kidneys
to stop working.
ADPKD can be a painful disease
that keeps people from enjoying life to
its fullest; taking a toll on a person's
emotional, mental and physical health.
ADPKD is the fourth leading cause of kidney
failure and once person's kidneys fail,
their only options are dialysis or
kidney transplant.
The other form of PKD is ARPKD.
ARPKD is a rare form of polycystic kidney disease
that occurs in one in 20,000 children worldwide
and can cause death in the first month
of life.
For children who survive the newborn period
â€" about 70 percent â€"
about one-third will need dialysis or transplant by age 10.
Emily is encouraged to find out that the PKD Foundation
is committed to ending PKD. Their vision
is that one day,
no one will suffer the full effects of
this disease.
They are the only organization in the United States solely dedicated to finding treatments
and a cure for PKD. The focus of the PKD Foundation
is on funding research. They also provide
education,
offer support through local chapters and
promote advocacy and awareness.
Emily decides that she can help by
volunteering; getting involved with a chapter;
and helping spread the word about PKD.
Every action makes a difference.
Visit pkdcure.org to learn how you can
help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiCTX1qub9Y


Are there medications for kidney disease?




>> A doctor speaks with a patient in his office.
>> Are there medications for kidney disease?
>> Well, most people with diabetes or high
blood pressure, which are the major causes
of chronic kidney disease, are
on a number of medications.
They are on medications to lower
blood sugar if they have diabetes.
They are on medications frequently
for blood cholesterol,
and they may be on other medications.
Controlling high blood pressure
is very important.
And most people with chronic kidney
disease require several medications.
Among the medicines that we use to control
blood pressure are two kinds of medicines
that have a specific benefit to the kidney.
They not only lower blood pressure
but they are actually known
to protect the kidney from damage.
Those medications are either ACE inhibitors
or angiotensin receptor blockers,
also known as ARBs.
Many people with chronic kidney
disease benefit from being
on these medications among all the
other medications that they might be on.
>> What about a water pill?
>> Well, many people with chronic kidney disease
and high blood pressure are on
what's known as a water pill.
The medical name is a diuretic.
And it's actually not a water pill; it's a
pill to help your kidney get rid of salt.
And as it gets rid of salt, the water follows.
People can avoid having to take a water pill
or diuretic or may be able to reduce their dose
if they're careful about the
amount of salt that they eat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvfMfgTyRUY