This kidney in a patient with ADPKD weighed 3 kilograms! This disease is inherited with an autosomal dominant pattern, so the recurrence risk in the family is 50%. The cysts are not usually present at birth, but develop slowly over time, so the onset of renal failure occurs in middle age to later adult life.

Characteristic urinalysis findings for end stage renal disease are seen below. In ADPKD, there are often many oxalate crystals, and the cysts are often filled with them, too.



Macroscopic Urinalysis:

CharacteristicResult
ColorYellow
AppearanceClear
Leukocyte EsteraseNeg
NitriteNeg
pH6.5
ProteinTrace
Blood2+
Specific Gravity1.010
KetonesNeg
GlucoseNeg
BilirubinNeg

Microscopic Urinalysis:

CharacteristicResult
WBC/hpf <5/hpf
RBC/hpf None
Casts None
Other Many oxalate crystals