Do Feet Swell with Polycystic Kidney Disease

2014-08-16 06:02

Some PKD patients may find their feet become swollen after the diagnosis of kidney problem. Why is this? Is swollen feet a symptom of Polycystic Kidney Disease?

Do feet swell with Polycystic Kidney Disease?

According to clinical observation, swollen feet indeed appears in some cases of PKD. In some others, swelling may also occur in eyelid, face, and lower limbs. PKD is a genetic kidney problem characterized by a cluster of cysts in kidney. For PKD patients, their feet swell not because of cysts in kidney, but because of the decline of kidney function.

How is swollen feet caused by PKD?

One of the major job of kidney is to filter blood and during this process, wastes and excess fluids will be discharged out of the body as urine. When kidney function is affected due to large cysts in kidney, fluids which should be removed away by kidney will build up in the body. Consequently, fluid retention is caused.

Another possible cause for swollen feet in PKD is retention of sodium and water. Apart from filtering blood, kidney is also in charge of maintaining electrolyte balance. When kidneys fail to function properly due to cysts in kidney, electrolyte disturbance appears and high sodium level in blood is the most common one. High sodium level in blood will cause fluid retention, which also result in swelling.

What to do when feet swell due to PKD?

For PKD patients, when swollen feet appears due to impairment of kidney function, they need to:

1. Reduce fluid consumption, as drinking too much water will worsen swelling.

2. Eat less sat, because high salt diet not only aggravate swelling, but also elevates blood pressure.

3. Improve kidney function as quickly as possible. Kidney is responsible for water balance in the body, so when kidney function is improved, excessive fluids are removed out of the body naturally. Micro-Chinese Medicine Osmotherapy is a good option for PKD patients to improve kidney condition.

4. Dialysis is required if swelling becomes every serious.

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