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Early in the course, the physician may identify:
- The patient is passing large amounts of diluted urine, with salt wasting
- The urine specific gravity is low and fixed
- Blood pressure may be low and require salt supplements
The diagnosis can be established with:
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Abdominal ultrasound or abdominal CT scan - these may show small kidneys or multiple cysts on the kidneys
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Renal biopsy -- this may show tubulo-interstitial nephropathy and medullary cysts.
As the disease progresses, kidney failure follows:
- Increasing creatinine levels
- Increasing BUN (blood urea nitrogen)
- Decreasing creatinine clearance
- Elevated blood pressure
- Anemia (shown on complete blood count)
- Small, shrunken kidneys (shown on ultrasound)
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