Urinary Problems

• People who experience frequent urination, as well as continuous urinary tract or kidney infections, may be exhibiting symptoms of kidney cysts. Blood in the urine is another common sign of cysts.

Enlarged Kidneys and Abdominal Pain

• If your abdomen is enlarged, you may have kidney cysts. As the cysts continue to grow, so do your kidneys. Enlarged kidneys can trigger pain in the side of your abdomen or back.

Headaches

• Extremely painful headaches may signal the presence of severe kidney cysts.

Kidney Stones

• Painful or recurring problems involving kidney stones can be a symptom of kidney cysts as well.

Blood Pressure and Kidney Failure

• While kidney cysts can lead to high blood pressure and kidney failure, such conditions also may serve as the primary indicator of the very existence of said cysts, particularly when no prior symptoms have surfaced.

Significance

• According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), urine production begins about 10 to 12 weeks after conception. While the placenta takes care of filtering wastes for the developing kidneys, the urine flows into the amniotic sac and becomes an important part of the amniotic fluid. Any disease that affects the kidneys’ ability to produce and release urine is a potential cause of problems for the fetus, affecting not only the kidneys but the ability of the lungs to develop properly because they need adequate amniotic fluid.

Hydronephrosis

• Hydronephrosis is caused by a defect in the urinary tract that blocks the flow of urine in the unborn baby. The blockage causes urine to back up, which causes swelling in the kidneys or ureters. (When the swelling is in the ureters it’s called hydroureter.) Information published by Cornell University states that hydronephrosis is the most commonly detected fetal kidney disease, affecting about 1.4 percent of unborn babies. The urinary obstruction is usually caused by a kink in the tube that carries urine out of the kidney. Any build-up of urine can cause infections, scarring and long-term damage to the kidney.

Kidney Dysplasia

• In this fetal kidney disease, the structures inside the kidney do not develop normally. The tubule system that collects urine begins with one tube that branches out into smaller tubes, creating an extensive system. In kidney dysplasia, the tubes do not branch out properly so the urine doesn’t have anywhere to go. The urine collects in the kidney and forms into cysts that replace the normal kidney tissue. Kidney dysplasia usually only affects one kidney, so the baby can develop normally using the remaining healthy kidney. If both kidneys are affected, the fetus usually does not survive, and if he does live he will need dialysis and a kidney transplant. Kidney dysplasia can be inherited or it can be caused by the mother’s use of illegal drugs or prescription medication used to treat seizures and high blood pressure.

Polycystic Kidney Disease

• There are two types of inherited polycystic kidney disease (PKD): autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive. Both types cause fluid-filled cysts to form in both kidneys. The cysts replace the normal kidney tissue so the kidneys can’t work properly, and eventually they permanently fail. The signs of autosomal recessive PKD usually begin before birth. Ultrasound may show enlarged kidneys and scarring in the liver even though the cysts are visible. Children born with infantile PKD develop kidney disease before adulthood, but in the worst case, babies can die hours after birth.

Medullary Sponge Kidney Disease

• This is a birth defect that causes tiny cysts to block the tubes in the kidneys so urine can’t flow through them. This disease develops before the baby is born but usually doesn’t cause any problems until about age 30 or 40, and then it manifests as urinary tract infections and kidney stones. The NIDDK reports that about 20 percent of adults with kidney stones have medullary sponge kidney disease (MSK). However, MSK seldom progresses to kidney failure.

Symptoms and Detection

• Symptoms of a renal cortical cyst include pain in your back and abdomen and along your side between your ribs and hip; frequent urination; bloody or dark urine; and fevers. If you experiencing any of these symptoms, speak to your physician, who can examine you and order tests that can detect renal cysts. Your physician will use an ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan your kidneys and look for cysts.

Treatment

• If you have a small kidney cysts that isn’t causing you any problems, your physician will generally leave it alone, though she may follow up with additional scans in six to 12 months. But if you experience symptoms of a renal cortical cyst, your physician will probably send you to a urologist, who specializes in diagnosing and treating kidney problems.

  Your urologist will determine whether your renal cysts have grown randomly, or whether they have resulted from polycystic kidney disease (PKD)—an inherited disease the targets the kidneys and causes the growth of kidney cysts. Small or few renal cysts will generally not harm you, but multiple or large cysts can cause pain, infection and damage to the kidneys. If your urologist suspects PKD, schedule biannual scans to check for the presence of cysts in your kidneys.

  A physician can drain and permanently harden small renal cortical cysts by inserting a needle directly into them. The process removes fluid and replaces it with alcohol, which causes the tissue that makes up the cyst to harden.
  Larger cysts may require surgical removal. Most surgeons prefer laparoscopic surgery, which involves smaller incisions, a shorter hospital stay and a faster recovery. During the surgery, your surgeon will drain the cyst of fluid and then remove or burn away its outer layer of tissue.