A reader recently contacted me concerning cysts on his kidney and I thought that it may be appropriate to review the topic today.
What are cysts and are they dangerous?
Cysts in the kidneys are collections of fluid. In rare cases, cysts may be a manifestation of other diseases such as polycystic kidney disease in which there are many cysts along with kidney damage. Simple cysts in the kidney, which are more common than one would think, are not dangerous, non-cancerous and don’t often cause symptoms. We will discuss simple cysts. To answer the most commonly asked question patients usually have – it is not entirely clear what causes these cysts. They seem to be more common in men and increase as one gets older.
