Polycystic Kidney Cysts

Review - Dr. Praveen Sharma


Renal Cysts

1. Cortical kidney cysts are one type of renal cyst that becomes more common as people grow older. While the incidence of renal cysts in children are rare, the condition is more likely to occur in individuals after age 50. According to a February 2001 article published in the Parkhurst Exchange, cortical and parapelvic cysts account for between 60 and 65 percent of all renal masses. Many times a person experiences no symptoms. In cases where pain, bleeding or infection occurs, the cyst may need to be removed. Kidney cysts are frequently caused by tubular obstruction. In most cases, a renal cyst is benign. Although it is rare for a benign kidney cyst to turn cancerous, a physician should carefully evaluate any cyst to rule out possible malignancy.

Symptoms

2. While some people with renal cysts may attribute lower back pain to the cyst, a simple cyst should not cause pain. If a person diagnosed with a complex cortical kidney cyst complains of pain in the lower back or groin area, or pain when urinating, it could be another condition. Constant pain could indicate the presence of a malignant mass, which means that any cancer present may already be in the later stages. Even if malignancy is determined not to be the cause of pain, a doctor generally orders a routine urinalysis and urine culture to make sure that groin or back pain is not due to infection or other medical condition.

Pain

3. Renal cysts grow slowly. However, when a cyst grows large enough and begins pressing on other organs, a person can experience pain. Large cortical kidney cysts often put pressure on the stomach and intestines, or on the kidney itself. In some cases, stretching of the wall of the cyst may be the reason for pain. Infection or bleeding from a kidney cyst can be other causes of pain. Infection causes kidney tissue to swell, stretching the renal capsule. The renal capsule is the thick layer of fibrous connective tissue surrounding each of the kidneys. This can cause a constant, aching type of pain. Flank pain, which is characterized as pain in the side that is felt somewhere between the lower ribcage and pelvis, is usually associated with kidney problems. Pain in the flank or lower back often radiates to the middle of the abdomen or the groin area just below the abdomen. Medical conditions involving the kidneys are a common cause of groin pain in women and men both.