II. Basic Information Polycystic kidney disease is a genetic disease that could be passed down from generation to generation. Many cysts form the kidneys, causing them to enlarge. Round cysts contain a water-like fluid and are not cancerous. They may grow inside the liver and spread to other parts of the body. Before we go into more detail about PDK, it is important to understand what function the kidney serves and why they are an essential organ in the human body. The kidneys are two organs, each about the size of a fist, located in the upper part of a person's abdomen, toward the back. The function of the kidneys is to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood to form urine. In addition, they regulate the amount of other vital substances in the body. Growing cysts can profoundly enlarge the kidneys, thereby changing their normal shape and structure and preventing them from functioning properly. If the disease is not noticed at the right time, the cysts could spread and this could lead to reduced kidney function and, subsequently, kidney failure. Richard Bright, a British doctor and medical researcher was the first to discover this disease. He has also participated in the study of other kidney diseases. Bright was born on 28 September 1789 in Bristol. He grew up in a wealthy family. He worked together with two of the most important figures in British medicine of the time, Thomas Hodgkin and Thomas Addison, and this led to many different discoveries about kidney-related diseases (1820). They published numerous works and research papers which later led to the discovery of treatments for diseases. All this research gave him enough information to identify the symptoms of polycystic kidney disease. This disease was also called... the focus of the document... for patients and their families. Good local resources for people with this disease would be Madison Center Clinic, Harborview Medical Renal Clinic, Swedish Organ Transplant Clinic, Minor & James Medical Group, Northwest Kidney Centers, Group Health Nephrology Assocs, VA Puget Sound Healthcare Renal, West Seattle Kidney Center, Medical Specialties Clinic, University of Washington Med and many other Seattle-based institutions that may provide you with additional information, advice, support about the disease. There are thousands of institutions around the world that could support you and provide you with information, including the PDK Foundation, the National Kidney Foundation, the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. There are also many books about this disease that include other people's experiences and their advice. Also: