Kidney Manifestations
Although all individuals with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) develop cysts within the kidneys, there is substantial variability in the severity of kidney disease and other manifestations of the disease. Less variability is observed between affected individuals from the same family, but significant intrafamilial variability still exists.
Poor prognostic factors include: diagnosis before age 30 years [Gabow 1996]; first episode of hematuria before age 30 years; onset of hypertension before age 35 years [Cornec-Le Gall et al 2016]; hyperlipidemia and high body mass index [Nowak et al 2018]; high urine sodium excretion [Torres et al 2017a]; lower kidney blood flow; lower serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [Torres et al 2011]; large total kidney volume (TKV) [Chapman et al 2012, Irazabal et al 2015, Lavu et al 2020]; and the presence of a truncating PKD1 variant [Cornec-Le Gall et al 2013, Heyer et al 2016, Lavu et al 2020].
The lower incidence of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in affected females compared to males suggests that ADPKD is a more severe disease in males. Analysis of individuals with PKD1-related ADPKD showed earlier-onset ESKD in males than females; mean age at onset of ESKD was 58.1 years for males and 59.5 years for females [Cornec-Le Gall et al 2013]. In a study of individuals with PKD1- and PKD2-ADPKD, ages at ESKD were 58.2 years for males and 63.9 years for females [Lavu et al 2020]. Heyer et al [2016] showed lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and larger height-adjusted TKV (htTKV) in males compared to females in the Consortium of Imaging Studies to Assess the Progression of Polycystic Kidney Disease (CRISP) and HALT PKD study populations and in individuals with PKD1-related ADPKD. Males with PKD2-related ADPKD also had lower eGFR. Males with truncating PKD1 variants, onset of hypertension before age 35 years, and/or a urologic event before age 35 years were the most severely affected [Cornec-Le Gall et al 2016].
Cyst development and growth. The kidney manifestations of ADPKD include kidney function abnormalities, hypertension, kidney pain, and kidney insufficiency. These manifestations are directly related to the development and enlargement of kidney cysts. A CRISP study of 241 non-azotemic affected individuals followed prospectively with annual MRI examinations showed that TKV and cyst volumes increased exponentially. At baseline, TKV was 1,060 ± 642 mL; the mean increase over three years was 204 mL, or 5.3% per year. The baseline TKV predicted the subsequent rate of increase in kidney volume, meaning that the larger the kidney, the faster the rate of kidney enlargement over time. Declining GFR was observed in persons with baseline TKV above 1,500 mL [Grantham et al 2006].
Kidney size has been shown to be a strong predictor of subsequent decline in kidney function, with an htTKV of ≥600 mL/m showing a high predictive value for the individual to develop kidney insufficiency within eight years [Chapman et al 2012]. Compartmentalizing age-adjusted htTKV into five classes based on htTKV/age has also shown that this strongly predicts decline in kidney function and ESKD. A model including htTKV (which can be estimated using kidney dimensions and the ellipsoid equation), age, and eGFR (available via an online app) has good predictive value in estimating future eGFR [Irazabal et al 2015]. Further studies have confirmed the relationship between htTKV and future decline in kidney function and age at ESKD [Yu et al 2018, Lavu et al 2020].
Individuals with PKD1-related ADPKD often have significantly larger kidneys with more cysts than individuals with PKD2-related ADPKD. However, the rates of cystic growth are not different, indicating that PKD1-related ADPKD is more severe because more cysts develop earlier, not because they grow faster [Harris et al 2006].
Occasionally, enlarged and echogenic kidneys with or without kidney cysts are detected prenatally in a fetus at risk for ADPKD [Zerres et al 1993]. The prognosis in these individuals is often more favorable than expected given the large kidney size, with a decrease in volume and no decline in kidney function commonly seen, at least during childhood. However, ESKD develops earlier than is typically seen in adult-onset disease [Fick et al 1993, Zerres et al 1993]. Biallelic PKD1 or PKD2 pathogenic variants have been reported in individuals with very early-onset ADPKD (see Genotype-Phenotype Correlations) [Cornec-Le Gall et al 2018b].
Kidney function abnormalities. Reduction in urinary concentrating capacity and excretion of ammonia occur early in individuals with ADPKD. The reduction of urinary excretion of ammonia in the presence of metabolic stresses (e.g., dietary indiscretions) may contribute to the development of uric acid and calcium oxalate stones, which, in association with low urine pH values and hypocitric aciduria, occur with increased frequency in individuals with ADPKD. In turn, crystal deposition may accelerate the rate of cystogenesis [Torres et al 2019].
Studies suggest that the urinary concentrating defect and elevated serum concentration of vasopressin may contribute to cystogenesis [Nagao et al 2006]. They may also contribute to the glomerular hyperfiltration seen in children and young adults, development of hypertension, and progression of chronic kidney disease [Torres 2005].
Plasma copeptin concentration (a marker of endogenous vasopressin levels) has been associated with various markers of disease severity (positively with TKV and albuminuria and negatively with GFR and effective kidney blood flow) in a cross-sectional analysis of people with ADPKD [Meijer et al 2011]. Plasma copeptin concentration has also been associated with the change in TKV during follow up in the CRISP study [Boertien et al 2013].
It has long been thought that a decline in kidney function, detected as a rise in serum creatinine, is generally seen only later in the course of disease, typically about a dozen years before ESKD. Once kidney function starts to deteriorate, GFR has been observed to decline rapidly (~4-6 mL/min/yr) [Klahr et al 1995]. However, more recent studies have shown the trajectory of eGFR decline to be close to linear from early adulthood in individuals with the largest kidneys, while the traditional curvilinear trajectory with later decline is observed in individuals with smaller kidneys [Yu et al 2019, Lavu et al 2020]. Genotype is also associated with the trajectory of eGFR loss, with a steeper earlier decline associated with inactivating PKD1 pathogenic variants [Lavu et al 2020].
Another early functional abnormality is a reduction in kidney blood flow, which can be detected in young individuals (when systolic and diastolic blood pressures are still normal) and precedes the development of hypertension [Torres et al 2007b].
Hypertension often develops in young adults, and even in childhood, and usually before any decline in GFR. It is characterized by the following:
Increase in kidney vascular resistance and filtration fraction
Normal or high peripheral plasma renin activity
Resetting of the pressure-natriuresis relationship
Salt sensitivity
Normal or increased extracellular fluid volume, plasma volume, and cardiac output
Partial correction of kidney hemodynamics and sodium handling by converting enzyme inhibition
Hypertension is often diagnosed much later than when it first occurs in individuals with ADPKD; 24-hour monitoring of ambulatory blood pressure of children or young adults may reveal elevated blood pressure, attenuated decrease in nocturnal blood pressure, and exaggerated blood pressure response during exercise, which may be accompanied by left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction [Seeman et al 2003]. Monitoring of blood pressure in children at risk for ADPKD is recommended [Massella et al 2018, Gimpel et al 2019].
Early detection and treatment of hypertension in ADPKD is important because cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death. Uncontrolled high blood pressure also increases the risk for:
Proteinuria, hematuria, and a faster decline of kidney function;
Morbidity and mortality from valvular heart disease and aneurysms;
Fetal and maternal complications during pregnancy.
Kidney pain. Pain is a common manifestation of ADPKD [Bajwa et al 2004]. Potential etiologies include: cyst hemorrhage, nephrolithiasis, cyst infection, and (rarely) tumor. Discomfort, ranging from a sensation of fullness to severe pain, can also result from kidney enlargement and distortion by cysts. Gross hematuria can occur in association with complications such as cyst hemorrhage and nephrolithiasis or as an isolated event. Passage of clots can also be a source of pain. Cyst hemorrhage can be accompanied by fever, possibly caused by cyst infection. Most often, the pain is self-limited and resolves within two to seven days. Rarely, pain may be caused by retroperitoneal bleeding that may be severe and require transfusion.
Nephrolithiasis. The prevalence of kidney stone disease in individuals with ADPKD is approximately 20% [Torres et al 1993]. The majority of stones are composed of uric acid and/or calcium oxalate. Urinary stasis thought to be secondary to distorted kidney anatomy and metabolic factors plays a role in the pathogenesis [Torres et al 2007a]. Postulated factors predisposing to the development of kidney stone disease in ADPKD include: decreased ammonia excretion, low urinary pH, and low urinary citrate concentration. However, these factors occur with the same frequency in individuals with ADPKD with and without a history of nephrolithiasis [Nishiura et al 2009].
Urinary tract infection and cyst infection. In the past, the incidence of urinary tract infection may have been overestimated in individuals with ADPKD because of the frequent occurrence of sterile pyuria. As in the general population, females experience urinary tract infections more frequently than males; the majority of infections are caused by E coli and other Enterobacteriaceae [Suwabe 2020]. Retrograde infection from the bladder may lead to pyelonephritis or cyst infection. Kidney cyst infections account for approximately 9% of hospitalizations in individuals with ADPKD [Sallée et al 2009].
Kidney cell carcinoma (KCC). Whether KCC occurs more frequently in ADPKD than in other kidney diseases remains controversial [Wetmore et al 2014, Yu et al 2016]. However, when KCC develops in individuals with ADPKD, it has different biological behavior, including: earlier age of presentation; frequent constitutional symptoms; and a higher proportion of sarcomatoid, bilateral, multicentric, and metastatic tumors [Keith et al 1994]. Males and females with ADPKD are equally likely to develop KCC. A solid mass on ultrasound, speckled calcifications on CT examination, and contrast enhancement, tumor thrombus, and regional lymphadenopathies on CT or MRI examination should raise suspicion for a carcinoma.
An increased risk for KCC in individuals with ADPKD who are on dialysis for ESKD can be explained by the increased incidence of KCC with advanced kidney disease [Hajj et al 2009, Nishimura et al 2009]. A retrospective study of 40,821 Medicare primary kidney transplant recipients transplanted from January 1, 2000, to July 31, 2005 (excluding those with pre-transplant nephrectomy), demonstrated that acquired kidney cystic disease pre-transplant, not the ADPKD, was associated with post-transplant KCC.
When age and other covariants were taken into consideration, the rate of all cancers in individuals with ADPKD after kidney transplantation was reported to be lower than in kidney transplant recipients who did not have ADPKD [Wetmore et al 2014].
Other. Massive kidney enlargement can cause complications resulting from compression of local structures, such as inferior vena cava compression and gastric outlet obstruction (mainly caused by cysts of the right kidney).
Kidney failure. Approximately 50% of individuals with ADPKD have ESKD by age 60 years [Lavu et al 2020]. Mechanisms accounting for the decline in kidney function include: compression of the normal kidney parenchyma by expanding cysts, vascular sclerosis, interstitial inflammation and fibrosis, and apoptosis of the tubular epithelial cells. The CRISP study [Grantham et al 2006] confirmed a strong relationship with kidney enlargement and showed that kidney and cyst volumes are the strongest predictors of kidney functional decline.
CRISP also found that kidney blood flow (or vascular resistance) is an independent predictor of kidney function decline [Torres et al 2007b]. This points to the importance of vascular remodeling in the progression of the disease and may account for reports in which the decline of kidney function appears to be out of proportion to the severity of the cystic disease [Shukoor et al 2020]. Angiotensin II, transforming growth factor beta, and reactive oxygen species may contribute to the vascular lesions and interstitial fibrosis by stimulating the synthesis of chemokines, extracellular matrix, and metalloproteinase inhibitors.
Other factors including heavy use of analgesics may contribute to kidney disease progression in some individuals.