Is Kidney Cyst Severe? Do I need to be afraid?

One of the main reasons for the concern of patients is the appearance of a renal cyst in some imaging exam due to unspecific pain or check-up. And then the question arises: is kidney cyst serious?

This problem tends to affect people of both sexes as they age and most of the time it is harmless. However, in some cases it can be associated with kidney disorders with potential severity, says the urologist in Noida.

Let’s learn more about kidney cyst symptoms and characteristics, causes and forms of treatment.

What is a renal cyst?

The cysts are filled with water round bags formed within the kidney. Usually asymptomatic, they are detected during some type of image exam requested by the best urologist in Noida.

According to data from Harvard Medical School, the chances of a simple kidney cyst appearing with age: at 30, the probability is 5%, at 70, the percentage of chances rises to 36%.

For the occurrence of renal cysts, the causes have not yet been fully defined.

Renal cyst may appear on the left or renal cyst on the right with different sizes, from subcentimeter to large 20 cm structures.

The definition of medical conduct will depend on some factors, which we will discuss below.

Simple renal cyst

A simple kidney cyst is a benign clinical condition and does not usually cause symptoms. Its main characteristics are thin walls, with a rounded and regular shape, with clear and crystalline content, states the urologist in Greater Noida.

However, when the kidney cyst grows in size, the symptoms can be:

• Pains between ribs and pelvis;

• Upper abdominal pain.

Complex cyst

This type of cyst has solid parts or other changes, such as irregular contours, septa or fibrosis. To determine the complexity, it is necessary to perform more specific exams, such as tomography or MRI of the abdomen, says the best urologist in Greater Noida.

Unlike simple cysts, in this case we may be facing a kidney tumor but with characteristics of a cyst.

The Bosniak Classification will determine the degree according to the aspect of the images obtained in the exam and, with that, guide the best treatment conduct.

• Bosniak kidney cyst 1: simple and benign cyst;

• Bosniak kidney cyst 2: less complex and benign lesions, which may be a cyst with calcification;

• Bosniak 3: complex cysts that present contrast absorption used in the exam. In these cases, there is a high chance that we are facing a tumor;

• Bosniak 4: malignant lesions.

What is a cortical cyst?

According to the urologist in Ghaziabad, many patients do not understand the terms used in the examination reports and arrive with many doubts. The term “cortical cyst” refers to the anatomical location. When talking about cortical cyst it is because the lesion is in the most superficial region of the kidney, which is called the cortex. Parapelic cysts are close to the renal pelvis.

Polycystic kidney disease

This disease has nothing to do with simple sporadic kidney cysts. The appearance of cysts can be started at a young age and needs to be monitored by nephrologists and best urologist in Ghaziabad, because the disease can lead to chronic renal failure. This disease is associated with hereditary factors.

Renal cyst treatment

Most kidney cysts do not require treatment. The definition of medical follow-up will be based on the results of exams and characteristics of the cysts, explains the urologist in Noida.

A more invasive treatment will only be necessary in 2 situations:

• Complex Bosniak cysts 3 or 4;

• Bulky simple cysts with pain and local repercussion.

In cases of complex cysts, surgical removal using an open, laparoscopic or robotic approach is necessary for a better evaluation and accurate diagnosis.

In cases of large simple cysts, puncture with a needle through the skin can be an interesting alternative, says the urologist in Vaishali.

There is no hard data to speak of cysts prevention. Still, moderate eating habits, adequate water intake, physical activities, controlling blood pressure and avoiding smoking (proven cause of bladder and kidney cancer) are beneficial to the body, suggests the urologist in Delhi.