How Does PKD Cause Anemia

2014-06-04 01:50

PKD, which is shorted for polycystic kidney disease, is a genetic kidney disease with numerous kidney cysts on kidneys. With the enlargement of kidney cysts, it will oppress the kidney tissues and cause kidney damage. Then patients will suffer from some severe symptoms and complications, anemia is the common one. Then how does PKD cause anemia? In this article, we will help you get further understanding.

As we know, the progression of PKD to kidney failure may be a long time. When PKD patients develop into kidney failure, they will have some severe symptoms and complications, which will affect the prognosis of PKD. And we need to know the causes of the symptoms, they we can have certain treatment to control it. Anemia is a common complication for PKD patients, which can be caused by many factors.

1. The accumulation of toxins and wastes in blood

As we know, healthy kidneys can help excrete the toxins and wastes in blood, which will purify the blood and keep the balance of body. For PKD patients, if they have a low kidney function, the kidneys will fail to work well, which will cause the toxins and wastes building up in blood, and this will increase the death of red blood cells in blood, which will cause anemia.

2. Kidney damage

As we know, kidneys also have the function of excrete the EPO (erythropoietin), which can help increase the red blood cells in blood. However, for PKD patients, the kidney damage will cause the reduce of EPO, which will reduce the amount of red blood cells, and this will cause anemia easily.

3. Low hemoglobin level in blood

For PKD patients, the kidney damage will cause the low hemoglobin level in blood, which will cause anemia as well.

Above are the main causes of anemia for PKD patients, which are mainly because of the kidney damage. So patients need to have effective treatment to improve their kidney function, which can help relieve the anemia.

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