Polycystic kidney disease is far from the death sentence that you might fear. Only 24,828 of the 527,283 Americans treated for end-stage kidney disease in 2007 had polycystic disease, according to the 2009 Annual Report of the U.S. Renal Data System. The Merck Manual explains that the most patients do not need dialysis or transplant during childhood. If the patient's kidney function declines, diet may help prevent some of the symptoms of renal failure.
PKD
The Mayo Clinic explains that patients with polycystic kidney disease, PKD, have clusters of non-cancerous cysts on their kidneys. There are two types of PKD: autosomal recessive PKD, ARPKD, and autosomal dominant PKD, ADPKD. Regardless of the type, the cysts eventually get so bad that the kidneys are less able to function. The Mayo Clinic reports that half of the patients who reach age 60 experience renal failure. This increases to 85 percent of patients who reach age 70. Diet is an important element of treating renal failure.
Limitations
The National Kidney Foundation explains that "no specific diet is known to prevent cysts from developing." Moreover, the usual low-protein diet that helps slow the progression of chronic disease in other kidney patients has no proven benefit to people with PKD. While diet may have little preventative value, it does minimize the symptoms of renal failure once kidney function begins to decline.
Potassium and Phosphorus
Healthy kidneys regulate levels of potassium and phosphorus in the blood. As kidney function declines, the kidneys are less able to regulate these levels and serum potassium and serum phosphorus levels often become elevated. Nephrologists recommend low-potassium and low-phosphorus diets to offset the high serum levels of these minerals. If you have PKD, your nephrologist can recommend if potassium and phosphorus restriction is needed and how much of these minerals you can safely eat.
Food Choices
High-potassium foods such as acorn squash, potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, orange juice, lentils and other legumes must be eaten very sparingly. Healthier choices include mushrooms, onions and green peppers because these are low-potassium foods.
High phosphorus foods such as milk, organ meats, beer, chocolate and cola drinks should be avoided if your phosphorus levels are high. Doctors may prescribe phosphorus binders --- a type of drug that binds to the phosphorus and causes its excretion.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Polycystic Kidney Disease
- National Kidney Foundation: Polycystic Kidney Disease
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Statistics
- Merck Manuals: Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD)
- National Kidney Foundation: Potassium and Your CKD Diet
- National Kidney Foundation: Phosphorus and Your CKD Diet
