Q: I am 27 years old and had a CT scan last week for a problem with my lungs and was diagnosed with Pleurisy. On reading the notes from the doctors, I noticed an incidental comment - within the abdomen, upper pole cyst formation in the right kidney is seen. No acute osseous abnormality is appreciated. My uncle had Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). None of my parents have PKD. Is this something I should be concerned about? I was told that if my Father didn't have PDK, then neither would I. Please suggest.

A:Autosomal Dominant Polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is an inherited disease to have which one needs to inherit only one mutant (defective) gene from either parent. Renal imaging tests including the CT scan are used to ensure a proper diagnosis in someone who has a definite history of ADPKD in genetically related family members. Persons at risk between the ages of 30-59 years should have at least 2 cysts in each kidney on renal imaging to be diagnosed as having ADPKD. Often, the difficulty with an early diagnosis by the imaging tests can be overcome by gene linkage analysis, though it has not gained widespread clinical use because of some practical limitations. Based on the CT scan findings of the kidneys and the fact that neither of your parents has been diagnosed with ADPKD, it seems highly unlikely for you to have the disease in the future.