Causes and Types
Causes
Polycystic Kidney Disease is an inherited genetic disorder. Because of this, it often runs in families of people who either have it or who are unknowingly carriers of the abnormal genes. Because it is typically passed down through dominant genes, it is very difficult for PKD to skip a generation. If you have it, more than likely your parents do too. On the flip side, if you’re parents do not have it, you will likely not have it.
Types: Autosomal Dominant PKD
This is the most common type of PKD, forming about 90% of cases. In this variant, the genes being passed down are dominant. Because of this, children need only one copy of a dominant gene to cause the disease. Only one parent has to have the disease for them to pass the disease to their children. This is the form of the disease that flares up after the afflicted person is over 30 years of age.
Types: Infantile or Autosomal Recessive PKD
Because this type of PKD is recessive, both parents must be carrying a recessive PKD gene to pass down this type of Polycystic Kidney Disease. This variant begins much earlier than the Autosomal Dominant PKD variant. It often begins in either the womb or early childhood and is very serious. Often, it is fatal to the young, afflicted children. This form of PKD is very rare.
Image via: Pinterest.
Did you know...
- Starting to feel claustrophobic? The smells of apples may help keep your claustrophobic feelings at bay according to a 1995 study by Dr. Alan Hirsch. Green apples, specifically, helped people change their perception of their space. Maybe they thought of expansive apple orchards? Cucumbers and barbecue made the feelings worse.
- Need a quick cool down? Try drinking some hot liquid. It's true! As counterintuitive as it may seem, the heat from hot liquids will raise your body temperature. This will heat you up and cause you to sweat. The increased perspiration will wind up helping you feel cooler as it evaporates. Try it out!
- Do you know what the strongest muscle in your body is? No, it’s not your biceps or your thighs. It’s actually in your head. The masseter is a muscle in the jaw that is used when chewing. When all of the muscles of the jaw work together, they can exert a force as strong as 200 pounds on the molars. That’s some serious pressure.
- There are many factors that contribute to your body odor, but one of the strongest links is our diet. This may be some bad news for meat-lovers because many studies have shown that those who refrained from or ate less red meat were judged as being more pleasant smelling. The meat sweats are real, and they don’t smell great!
- Does your job make you stressed? We all know that stress is psychologically bad for you, but it also has an effect on…your allergies? A Harvard Medical School study has shown that stress causes your allergies to become worse because your body's defense response loses efficacy when repeatedly triggered by stress. Then, when you really need to physically fight something off, you're less able to!