The liver is one of the body's main filters, which in case of getting toxins is bound to make the consequences of this penetration minimal for human health.
In the same queue, the cyst is a hollow formation in the organ that has a wall and contents. Unfortunately, the cyst is a fairly common phenomenon among middle-aged and older people, which endangers the development of a tumor and can lead to organ dysfunction.
The liver cyst is found in 1% of people, and more women are affected than men. It is found in persons from 30 to 50 years.
This pathology refers to benign formations, which is filled with a clear liquid, and in rare cases - with a gelatinous mass of yellow-green color.
The liver cyst can be localized in different parts of the organ. Education can reach more than 25 centimeters. It is not uncommon for cases when several years after the onset of one formation, due to some trigger factor, multiple liver cysts occur, and this is a complication of the disease. This is facilitated by cirrhosis of the liver , polycystic kidney disease, cysts in the bile ducts, polycystic ovaries. Thus, when a cyst occurs in an organ, there is a possibility that this pathology will not be limited, and therefore, a regular examination of all organs for the presence of formations should be carried out.
Classification of liver cyst
Cysts are divided into two types:
- parasitic;
- nonparasitic.
Nonparasitic liver cyst
This kind of tumors is divided, in turn, into true and false cysts.
The true cyst is the one that arises from the connection of the bile ducts to the biliary tract system at the stage of intrauterine development. The true cyst is detected at random in the course of ultrasound.
The true cyst can be:
- solitary - cyst of the right lobe of the liver, has a rounded formation with a leg hanging in the abdominal cavity;
- polycystosis - the cyst of the left and right lobe of the liver, is caused by a mutation of genes and is often accompanied by the appearance of cysts not only in the liver, but also in the kidneys, lungs, pancreas;
- cystic fibrosis - congenital form of the cyst.
A false cyst is one that arises from a traumatic effect - a rupture of the organ. This can occur with the removal of echinococcus or the removal of liver abscess. Following this, the false cyst is divided into inflammatory and traumatic cysts.
Parasitic cyst of liver
The parasitic cyst, as well as non-parasitic cyst, has several species depending on what became its causative agent:
- echinococcal cyst of the liver - damage occurs due to the activity of tapeworms;
- alveococcal cyst of the liver - defeat occurs due to helminths.
The parasitic cyst is asymptomatic, and upon detection, a person can not always remember when contact with an animal that could infect him has occurred.
Causes of cysts in the liver
The causes of the appearance of a cyst in the liver depend on its type:
- non-parasitic cyst - pathology of intrauterine development or liver damage;
- parasitic cyst - occurs due to contact with a sick animal.
What is dangerous cyst on the liver?
The greatest danger is a parasitic cyst, which tends to increase to a large size and contribute to the infection of other organs.
Also, the cyst represents a danger of tumor development.
Signs of a liver cyst
Up to a certain point the cyst develops asymptomatically. When it reaches a large size, a person can experience:
- nausea;
- diarrhea;
- pain in the right hypochondrium;
- loss of appetite;
- shortness of breath ;
- decreased body weight;
- increased liver size;
- heaviness and feeling of bursting after eating.