Symptoms and also diagnosis depend on the type and site of origin of the cyst.
Encapsulations that are close to the surface of the skin, such as on the chest, are often seen or palpated due to swelling. However, if internal organs, such as the kidney or liver, are affected, the diagnosis is usually incidental, such as during a routine ultrasound examination.
If a cyst is found or suspected, further procedures are often needed to find out the exact size and cause. The following are suitable for this purpose:
- CT - computer tomography
- MRT - magnetic resonance imaging
- X-rays
- Blood tests
- Puncture (removal of tissue for further examination)
As a rule, cysts are benign. However, they may cause discomfort, especially if they grow and begin to displace organs and tissues.
Less frequently, these cysts are caused by malignant tumours or are aggressive, as in the case of the fox tapeworm (echinococcosis).
The therapy depends on the type and location where a cyst occurs.
Common cysts
- Kidney cyst
- Liver cyst
- Ovarian cyst (ovarian cyst)
- Water hernia of the testicle (hydrocele)
- Knee cyst (Baker's cyst)
- Thyroid cyst
- Glandular cyst on the eyelid
- Sebaceous cysts of the skin
- Breast cysts
- Bone cysts
- Tooth root cysts
Kidney cysts and cystic kidneys
Kidney cysts should under no circumstances be confused with cystic kidneys, the polycystic kidney disease!
They are, despite similar names, two fundamentally different diseases.
Kidney cysts
Kidney cysts can occur in both kidneys, either singly or in groups. Normally they do not cause any symptoms and are discovered by chance during a routine examination. Only when they are very large in diameter do they sometimes cause back or abdominal pain.
Complications cannot be ruled out. The cyst(s) may become inflamed and consequently burst and bleed. More rarely, malignant changes occur.
Hippel-Lindau syndrome is a hereditary disease in which these cysts occur together with tumours, e.g. in blood vessels (haemangioblastoma), cerebellum (medulloblastoma) or retina (retinoblstoma).
Mostly people over 60 years of age are affected, under 30 years kidney cysts occur only very rarely.
The therapy depends on the symptoms caused by the cyst. Small cysts that do not cause any symptoms do not need to be treated. Larger ones that cause pain or complications can be punctured and aspirated or surgically removed or sclerosed.
Cystic kidneys
Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease - ADPKD is a common hereditary disease that affects approximately 1 in 1000 people.
Due to a change in the genetic material (PKD1 or PKD2 gene), new cysts constantly develop during the course of life. By the age of 50, most of those affected suffer from renal insufficiency. However, cyst formation is not limited to the kidneys. It can also affect the pancreas, liver, lungs, spleen, ovaries, uterus, testes or thyroid gland. Some patients also develop aortic aneurysms (bulging of the aorta) or diverticulosis (bulging of the intestinal wall). To date, there is no cure for this disease.