Can Polycystic Kidney Disease Cause Muscle Cramps
2013-07-09 15:33
It seems that patients in early stage Polycystic Kidney Disease rarely complain of muscle cramps, but as their condition progresses, muscle cramps especially in legs and foot do affect some PKD patients’ normal life. Well then, can Polycystic Kidney Disease cause muscle cramps? Is their discomfort associated to PKD? Read on to find the answer.
General causes of muscle cramps
In our daily life, many other people who don’t have any kidney disease are suffering from muscle cramps, because unhealthy living habits as follows may also lead to this discomfort.
● Tiredness
● Cold exposure
● Low calcium level
● Mental stress
If your muscle cramps are due to the above disorders, they are easy to deal with. However, for people with Polycystic Kidney Disease, muscle cramps are more likely to reveal some severe conditions.
The causes of muscle cramps associated to PKD
The muscle cramps in PKD patients usually occur or aggravate at night. The severe pain urges patients to find out the causes and managements.
1. Imbalance in fluid and electrolyte
The healthy kidneys are in charge of keeping fluid and electrolyte balance. In PKD, as kidney cysts increase in size continuously, they can damage glomeruli and renal tubules gradually, resulting in loss of kidney filtration function and reabsorption function. Then, the imbalance in fluid and electrolyte such as low calcium and magnesium may occur to cause muscle cramps.
2. Nerve damage and slow blood circulation
When kidneys are damaged by enlarged PKD cysts, more and more waste products and toxins can build up in the body to trigger many organs. Nerve damage, one of these complications, may easily cause muscle cramps, acousma, dizziness and so on. Besides, slow blood circulation, another condition associated to kidney damage, can also lead to muscle cramps.
3. Use of some drugs
People with Polycystic Kidney Disease often have to take some medications to control their symptoms. For example, ACEI is commonly used to lower high blood pressure but may cause muscle cramps.
Summary
Polycystic Kidney Disease indeed can cause muscle cramps, but the exact cause change from patient to patient. If your muscle cramps are due to the general causes, learn to develop a scientific diet and quit some unhealthy living habits. However, as for the later causes, only depending on diet and lifestyle can’t work very well. In this condition, you can describe your illness condition to the online doctor, so he can give you some helpful treatment suggestions.
Tag: PKD Symptoms
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