What causes cyst on your kidney

What Is a Kidney Cyst?

There are various types of kidney cysts. A kidney cyst is a sac or a round punch of thin-walled, smooth tissues that is generally filled with fluid.

 

It is not clear what causes kidney cysts. Usually, one cyst appears on the kidney surface. But one or more than one cyst may occur within the kidneys. Simple cyst is the common type of kidney cysts. They are different from cyst that occur with PKD (polycystic kidney disease). Complex cysts need treatment as they lead to cancer. Sometimes, cysts are formed in the liver and other body parts due to PKD.

 

Simple cysts are commonly found during imaging tests for other health conditions.

 

Acquired cystic kidney disease (ACKD) also causes cysts on your kidneys. ACKD does not run in families like PKD, but it happens in children and adults with end-stage renal disease and chronic kidney failure. ACKD does not lead your kidneys to grow larger or cause cyst to form in other body parts. Cysts caused by ACDK generally do not cause symptoms and hence there is no need to treat them.  It commonly doesn’t cause any symptoms or need treatment.

Kidney cyst sizes and what they mean

Some cysts are so small that they cannot be seen with a naked eye and we need a microscope to see them. But some of the kidney cysts grow larger than a tennis ball. Others can grow to be as large as a tennis ball. As they get larger, cysts can cause pain as they press nearby organs.

 

Simple kidney cysts generally don’t cause symptoms. In fact, many people who have simple cysts generally don’t know they have them. Cysts become a problem if they become infected, break and start to bleed, or grow large as they press other organs inside the abdomen.

 

Simple kidney cause symptoms that lead to:

• Fever

• Pain in stomach or back, sides between ribs and hips.

• Frequent urination.

• Dark urine or blood in urine

 

Depending on the working of cysts, it affects the working of the kidney. If the cysts prevent the kidney from straining extra fluids and wastes from the body, it leads to a type of blood pressure.

 

Kidney Cyst Causes

Kidney cysts generally occur when the tube of a nephron starts to get bigger and then fill with fluid. Doctors don’t understand what causes kidney cysts, but they are aware that simple cysts aren’t inherited. It is believed that microscopic blockage or injury in tubules may lead to the formation of some simple kidney cysts.

 

One theory states that kidney cysts generally develop when the upper layer of kidney weakens and then forms a round pouch. The pouch then loaded with fluid, deforms and develops into a cyst.

 

Men are more likely to get cyst than women. Almost half of all individuals aged 50 or older may develop one or more cyst in their kidneys. The size of cysts also increases with age and generally doubles over 10 years.

 

If kidney cysts are caused by polycystic kidney disease, then they are usually inherited. This means people have them because they run in their family.

 

Kidney Cyst Diagnosis

Besides a family medical history and physical exam , your doctor usually uses numerous tests to diagnose kidney cysts. These tests include:

 

• Imaging tests, like computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasounds

 

• Computed tomography (CT) scanuses computers and powerful X-rays to produce 3D images of kidneys to distinguish fluid filled cysts.

 

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)uses radio-waves, magnets and computers to take pictures of kidneys.

 

• Ultrasounduses echos and high-frequency sound waves to create pictures of kidneys and to determine the size of cysts.

 

• Blood teststo determine how perfectly your kidneys work.

 

In order to diagnose a kidney cyst, you should see a specialist called a urologist. Your doctor generally takes a urine or blood sample to see how efficiently your kidneys are performing.

 

There is no need to treat kidney cyst if it is smaller in size and does not cause any symptoms. You only have to do an imagining test after every 6-12 months to ensure that the cyst has not grown.

Treatment of kidney Cysts

Sclerotherapy and surgery are the treatments that are used to treat  cysts that are larger or cause symptoms.

 

Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy  is generally performed to drain the cyst. Firstly, the doctor gives you local anesthetic so that you will not feel any pain. Then using ultrasound as informed, the doctor will commonly place a thin needle into your cyst through your skin and remove all the liquid from the cyst. Sometimes, the doctor fills the cyst with the solution of alcohol to prevent the cyst from growing again. Possibly you will go home on the same day as you have done with sclerotherapy.

 

Surgery

A larger cyst which affects the functioning of our kidney function usually needs to be removed with the help of surgery. You will be sleepy under local anesthesia during the whole procedure. Surgeons commonly remove cysts laparoscopically by various small incisions. This means doctors perform the surgery by using tiny instruments and a camera. First, the surgeon will drain the cyst. Then they’ll burn or cut the walls of your cyst. You’ll need to be hospitalized for a day or two after your procedure.

 

Complications

Sometimes kidney cysts may lead to complications, including:

• An infected kidney cyst: A kidney cyst can become infected, causing pain and fever.

 

• A burst cyst:A kidney cyst that bursts causes severe pain in the back or side. Blood in the urine is sometimes caused by a burst

 

• Blocked urine flow:Kidney swelling can occur due to a kidney cyst which blocks normal urine flow.

 

Can simple kidney cysts be prevented?

Simple kidney cysts can’t be prevented. You can reduce your risk by drinking plenty of water and making sure you use less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day (less than 1,500 mg if you are older than 51, African-American, or have high blood pressure or long-term kidney disease)

 

Outlook

Many simple kidney cysts don’t cause any harm and problems. If a kidney cyst grows, surgery or sclerotherapy can remove it despite any long-term complications.

 

Polycystic kidney disease can be more serious. Without proper treatment, PKD leads to complications such as kidney failure and high blood pressure.