Usually kidney disease is associated with small kidneys. The process that shrinks the kidney is scarring otherwise known as fibrosis which is the end point of any damage to the kidney. However from time to time a disease process will come along that causes enlargement of the kidney as it proceeds to damage the kidney. Some of the diseases that may cause this are as follows.
- Infiltrative diseases such as sarcoidosis and amyloidosis both cause this. Amyloidosis is a disease of the blood which bears certain similarities with multiple myeloma and may coexist with this condition. There is deposition of large quantities of abnormal protein in amyloidosis which are laid down around the blood vessels and other structures of the kidney leading to abnormal function.
- HIV kidney disease is associated with kidneys that are larger than expected for the degree of kidney failure that exists.
- In acute renal failure due to acute tubular necrosis or a severe inflammation of the kidneys.
- In diabetic kidney disease there is enlargement of the organ in the early stages of diabetic kidney disease. However the kidney subsequently shrinks to roughly normal size by the time end stage renal disease occurs. The finding of normal size kidneys in patients with chronic renal failure is therefore not uncommon.
- Polycystic kidney disease as expected.
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