Which statement about polycystic kidney disease is false?

Which statement about polycystic kidney disease is false?

• A. It commonly presents with hematuria.
• B. It commonly presents with proteinuria.
• C. It commonly presents with kidney infections.
• D. It is caused by a recessive allele.

Answer: (D)

Polycystic kidney disease most often follows autosomal dominant inheritance. A single mutated copy of the PKD1 or PKD2 gene is typically enough to cause the disease, which is why the statement claiming it is caused by a recessive allele is not accurate for the common form. There is a separate autosomal recessive form, but it is far less common and usually presents in infancy with different features, such as congenital liver fibrosis. The other described presentations—hematuria from cyst rupture, proteinuria from cyst-induced kidney damage, and susceptibility to kidney infections due to the cystic structure—are all characteristic of the disease.

Polycystic kidney disease most often follows autosomal dominant inheritance. A single mutated copy of the PKD1 or PKD2 gene is typically enough to cause the disease, which is why the statement claiming it is caused by a recessive allele is not accurate for the common form. There is a separate autosomal recessive form, but it is far less common and usually presents in infancy with different features, such as congenital liver fibrosis. The other described presentations—hematuria from cyst rupture, proteinuria from cyst-induced kidney damage, and susceptibility to kidney infections due to the cystic structure—are all characteristic of the disease.