Q: I am 36 years old, I have cysts in my kidneys. My B.P. is 160/100. I am not under any medication yet. My father had the same problem and died at age of 66. Doctors asked me to check myself when I had taken my father for treatment as it is an hereditary. I don't have any sort of problem yet. So please advice me should I start any medicine, is there any medicine to tackle this problem, what is the age that it normally affects the kidneys? My blood report is normal. Please advise me in detail.

A:You have not indicated how many cysts you or your father had. It would also have helped if you had mentioned your creatinine which indicates the level of your kidney function. But what is clear is that you have hypertension and it needs to be treated. There is no strong evidence as to what medicines your hypertension should be treated with but given the fact that you and your father have had cysts in kidney, I am assuming that you are probably suffering from Autosomal Dominant Polyscystic kidney disease. This condition results in multiple kidney cysts which enlarge only to destroy the remainder of working kidney over a period of time. Therefore, it is important you keep your blood pressure under control with medicine called ACE inhibitors and get your kidney and cysts periodically examined by a kidney specialist. Many of such patients may remain asymptomatic but a significant proportion suffer from recurrent kidney infections, stones, kidney pain and gradual loss of kidney function and eventual kidney failure resulting in need for dialysis or kidney transplant.