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What are the Causes of Kidney Lesions?

Christine Hudson
Christine Hudson

Kidney lesions are commonly caused by cancers, infections, or nephrosis. These lesions are defined as areas of the kidney where anomalous tissues exist. Whether or not the lesions are cancerous or benign, they may be a serious condition and require attention. Symptoms of kidney lesions may include swelling due to water retention, blood in the urine, and lower back pain. A majority of people, however, do not experience any outward symptoms until lesions have been present for a long time, if at all.

Possible causes of kidney spots or kidney lesions are chronic infections, which lead to damage or scarring. This results in the obstruction of the kidney’s drainage system and interferes with normal function. Similarly, a kidney spot could be due to inflammation, surgery or any irregularities in kidney-related activities.

Symptoms of kidney lesions may include blood in the urine.
Symptoms of kidney lesions may include blood in the urine.

Renal cell carcinoma, or hypernephroma, is a common kidney cancer in which lesions and other cancerous cells develop in the tubes of the kidney. These lesions can multiply, grow, and spread until the person feels intense discomfort. If the cancer is detected at an early stage, surgery and other treatments can be deployed to combat it. Unfortunately, this cancer may go without symptoms and remain completely undetected for months or even years and is sometimes only found when it’s too late.

Individuals with kidney lesions may experience lower back pain.
Individuals with kidney lesions may experience lower back pain.

Nephrosis is a term used to indicate kidney disease. There are many causes for nephrosis such as diabetes, hepatic dysfunction, and the prolonged presence of toxins. This type of disease may also have symptoms in some patients, but many do not experience any. It is typically discovered through signs such as low protein levels in the blood, edema, and high cholesterol. Fluid retention on the fingers and face also indicates possible nephrosis, especially if a person has never had this problem before.

Chemotherapy is a possible treatment for cancerous kidney lesions.
Chemotherapy is a possible treatment for cancerous kidney lesions.

Lesions are usually a cause for concern in most patients because they typically indicate a serious condition within the body’s natural filtration and cleaning systems. Malignant lesions, or cancerous lesions, generally require immediate treatment to avoid serious complications or death. Benign lesions may not be as immediately life-threatening but do peak concern, and examinations are generally performed to find the root cause of the lesion.

Treatment options for kidney lesions may vary.
Treatment options for kidney lesions may vary.

Treatment for kidney lesions, kidney spots or nephrosis generally begins with initial treatment of any existing or intrinsic medical condition which may be the cause. Drugs commonly prescribed to treat nephrosis are diuretics to decrease fluid retention and swelling. Antibiotics may also be utilized to treat any existing infection in order to decrease protein output. Natural and holistic treatments for nephrosis comprise changes in one’s eating habits. In cancerous patients, the treatment for kidney lesions may include medication, surgery and chemotherapy.

Discussion Comments

amypollick

@monkey2009: I am very sorry about your sister's passing.

To try to answer a couple of your questions. No, dialysis is generally not painful. It takes three hours or so to do, but usually does not cause pain.

Renal failure causes toxins to build up in the blood, and this can certainly affect someone's mind. Your sister probably was convinced she saw the snake, but it was almost certainly due to the toxins in her blood. They affect the brain.

The vomiting was probably caused by the toxins in her blood, as well. This can cause extreme nausea and all sorts of other symptoms. Because her kidneys were unable to eliminate the toxins in her blood, they built up over time and probably caused most of the symptoms you witnessed.

Please try not to feel responsible for what happened to your sister. Doctors usually cannot administer medical treatment against a patient's wishes, no matter how much her family would like them to. And you can't convince someone to do anything if they are determined they will not do it.

Please accept my sympathy and condolences in your loss.

monkey2009

I lost my sister in mid October. She was suffering from kidney(renal) failure. She went through the first operation and the doctor said it was not successful, and she had to go for another operation, but she couldn't go as she said it was painful when removing the kidney.

The family tried to convince her to go but she couldn't understand. she went for dialysis and stopped. as a family we tried to convince her to go for the dialysis but she could not. i don't know if this treatment is very painful for a person to decide giving up so easy.

she vomited for more than a month and she wanted to consult traditional doctors. I feel so careless as we failed to save her life by pushing her to go to hospital. she died in hospital five days after her admission. and she was also running away saying she is seeing a snake. Did this illness affect her mind or was she truly seeing the snake?

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    • Symptoms of kidney lesions may include blood in the urine.
      By: tomschoumakers
      Symptoms of kidney lesions may include blood in the urine.
    • Individuals with kidney lesions may experience lower back pain.
      By: aceshot
      Individuals with kidney lesions may experience lower back pain.
    • Chemotherapy is a possible treatment for cancerous kidney lesions.
      By: Monkey Business
      Chemotherapy is a possible treatment for cancerous kidney lesions.
    • Treatment options for kidney lesions may vary.
      By: maya2008
      Treatment options for kidney lesions may vary.
    • Antibiotics are considered the most important treatment for a kidney infection.
      By: Syda Productions
      Antibiotics are considered the most important treatment for a kidney infection.
    • A ultrasound is often performed to confirm the presence of lesions on the kidney.
      By: Klaus Eppele
      A ultrasound is often performed to confirm the presence of lesions on the kidney.
    • Treating kidney disease may include taking a combination of drugs, in addition to dialysis.
      By: Vera Kuttelvaserova
      Treating kidney disease may include taking a combination of drugs, in addition to dialysis.
    • Long-term use of illicit drugs may cause kidney lesions.
      By: aaabbc
      Long-term use of illicit drugs may cause kidney lesions.
    • Kidney disease can cause kidney lesions.
      By: joshya
      Kidney disease can cause kidney lesions.