Definition:
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is an inherited disorder in which fluid-filled cysts form in the kidneys, crowding out actual kidney tissue and making the organs unable to function properly. The eventual result is kidney failure. The type of PKD most commonly diagnosed in infants and children is Autosomal Recessive PKD, for which both parents pass on the defective gene. In Autosomal Dominant PKD, more commonly diagnosed in adults but sometimes in children, one parent with the disease can pass it on. A third type, Acquired Cystic Kidney Disease (ACKD), develops in people who have other kidney problems.
