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Medullary Sponge Kidney Diseases

Medullary sponge kidney (MSK) is a birth defect in which cysts in the kidneys prevent the free flow of urine through structures called tubules. MSK puts people at increased risk for several health problems, including kidney and other urinary tract infections, kidney stones and having blood in their urine. The problems caused by MSK require treatment, but the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders notes that MSK itself has no cure.

  1. MSK Description

    • Scans of the kidneys of people with medullary sponge kidney disease show cysts throughout the organs. The cysts disrupt the otherwise smooth texture of the kidneys, giving the organs the sponge-like appearance from which MSK derives its name. Each cyst also partially blocks one end of tubule, causing urine to back up in the kidney. The slowed passage of urine through the kidneys causes the infections and other complications that accompany MSK.

    Kidney Infections

    • Known medically as pyelonephritis, a kidney infection can prove fatal because bacteria or viruses that infect the kidneys can easily spread throughout a patient's bloodstream when kidneys filter waste from blood and return clean blood to the rest of the body. Symptoms of kidney infection that people with MSK need to watch for include: pain in the middle back, sides or groin, fever, frequent and strong need to urinate, and pain when urinating.

    Urinary Tract Infections

    • Slow or inadequate voiding of urine allows bacteria and viruses to remain and multiply in and around the urethra and in the bladder and ureter---the duct that connects each kidney to the bladder. Infections in any part of the urinary tract can move up into the kidney, so patients should seek prompt treatment of all urinary tract infections. Having one urinary tract infection increases a patient's likelihood of having subsequent urinary tract infections, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The symptoms of a urinary tract infection are similar to those of a kidney infection, but the pain associated with a urinary tract infection may be more localized to the location of the primary infection.

    Bloody Urine

    • For patients with Medullary sponge kidney disease, blood in the urine, or hematuria, can indicate the presence of a kidney infection, urinary tract infection or kidney stones. Blood in the urine can also be a signal that a person has experienced kidney damage or kidney cancer. However, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases notes in an online MSK factsheet that the condition "rarely leads to more serious problems, such as total kidney failure."

    Kidney Stones

    • Kidney stones form when minerals or other material usually removed from the body in urine builds up in the kidneys. Stones can cause intense pain in patients' back, groin and, in men, testicles. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases cites research showing that as many as 20 percent of patients who develop kidney stones also have MSK.

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