Liver cysts are fluid-filled growths in the liver and are sometimes called hepatic cysts. The Cleveland Clinic reports that approximately 5 percent of the population has liver cysts, but only 5 percent of those with liver cysts ever experience any symptoms associated with cysts of the liver. This is because the liver can usually function normally, despite the presence of multiple cysts. There are a few different causes of liver cysts.
Polycystic Liver Disease
Approximately 6 people out of 1,000 have a hereditary disease called polycystic liver disease, the main symptoms of which are multiple cysts that grow in the liver, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In fact, so many cysts appear that the liver can look like a large cluster of grapes. Although the liver is still able to function normally despite the cysts, the cysts can make the liver abnormally large. This causes the affected person to feel a feeling of fullness in the abdomen, and they may also feel pain and/or discomfort. Although a person's quality of life may decline as a result of the fluid buildup and discomfort in the abdomen, polycystic liver disease never results in liver failure. Cysts that are surgically removed eventually reappear and thus the only treatment for someone with this disease is a liver transplant.
Echinococcus
MedlinePlus, an online medical encyclopedia associated with the National Library of Medicine, reports that echinococcus is an infection with a worm, either of the species Echinococcus granulosus or Echinococcus multilocularis. Ingesting food contaminated with eggs from this worm spreads the infection. The eggs eventually travel to the liver and cause the growth of multiple cysts. This infection does not often occur in the United States, and is much more common in Africa, Mediterranean countries, Central Asia, South America, and countries in the Middle East. While cysts primarily form in the liver, they can also grown in other sites of the body, such as the bones, kidney, and brain. The infection generally lasts for 10 to 20 years before it causes symptoms, which are due to the large size of the cysts. Symptoms include pain in the chest, a cough, a fever, itching, and coughing up bloody sputum. Antibiotics and surgery to remove the large cysts are often used to treat this infection.
Polycystic Kidney Disease
Though the main indication of polycystic kidney disease is the growth of multiple cysts on the kidneys, this inherited disorder is also associated with the growth of multiple cysts in the liver, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. This disease affects approximately 1 in 1,000 Americans, and ultimately causes kidney, though not liver, failure. In addition to multiple cysts in the liver and kidney, cysts may also grow in the testes and pancreas.
