Q:
I am an end stage renal disease patients and I have been on dialysis for 4 years. Recently it was found that there are multiple cysts on both my kidneys, the largest one being 3.1cm. The doctor told me the cysts are caused by dialysis. I just wonder why dialysis will cause kidney cysts and are there any other reasons. Will the cysts aggravate my kidney functions?
A:
Dialysis does can cause cysts on the kidneys and it is called acquired kidney cyst and it is one of the three common renal cysts. Its formation is mainly due to uremia or dialysis.
It has nothing to do with age but related to the duration of dialysis. At the beginning there is no cyst on the kidneys, however when the duration of dialysis exceeds 3 years, there will be at least 4 cysts in each kidneys in most patients thought the size will not be too large. Some cysts can even have infections or become cancerous and B ultrasound and CT can help confirm the diagnosis.
Of cause there are many other reasons that can cause cysts in kidney besides dialysis such as congenital dysplasia, gene mutation, infections or toxins, etc. And some medicines can also caused kidney damages if not taken properly.
Small cysts will not cause many damages to the kidneys if it is brought under control timely. And patients need to pay more attention to avoid cyst rupture which will cause severe consequences.
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