What is the abbreviation for an inherited disease characterized by large, fluid-filled cysts that grow within the kidneys and press against kidney tissue?
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is an inherited disease in which there is a structural abnormality of the renal tubules of the kidney which results in the formation and the growth of multiple large, fluid-filled cysts in the kidneys.
The effect of this disease can be shown at any stage of the development, be it during the infancy or adult stage or in utero.
These cysts are nothing but the renal tubules that have become nonfunctional and are filled with fluid.
The disease can manifest itself in either autosomal recessive or dominant form and it involves mutations in the genes such as PKD2, PKD1, etc.
