Renal angiomyolipoma is a rare and benign kidney tumor that usually has no symptoms until it is large enough to injure the kidney. Thus, although it is not a cancer, angiomyolipoma can be a serious problem, especially if it is larger than 4 cm, as it can impair the functioning of the kidney or cause severe bleeding.
Although its specific causes are not yet known, angiomyolipoma is more common in men over the age of 40, and is almost always accidentally identified during a routine kidney examination.
Understand that symptoms may indicate kidney cancer.
Main symptoms
In most cases, angiomyolipoma does not cause any type of symptom. However, there are some cases where signs such as:
- Pain in the lateral region of the belly;
- Urine with blood;
- Frequent urinary tract infection;
- Increased blood pressure.
In addition, the symptoms are more frequent when a kidney hemorrhage is caused by the tumor. In these cases, the symptoms may include a sudden drop in blood pressure, very severe abdominal pain, feeling faint and very pale skin, for example.
To assess the symptoms and confirm the diagnosis, the nephrologist can perform various tests such as renal ultrasonography, computed tomography or arteriography.
How is the treatment done?
In many cases, especially when the tumor is less than 4cm, treatment is done only with annual evaluations of the nephrologist to identify if angiomyolipoma is growing.
However, if the angiomyolipoma is larger than 4 cm in size or causes symptoms, surgery is usually indicated to remove the tumor and the affected part of the kidney to avoid more severe kidney damage over time or to avoid severe bleeding, which can be life-threatening.
Already when angiomyolipoma is not treated and symptoms appear that may indicate a renal hemorrhage, it is necessary to go immediately to the hospital to confirm the diagnosis and, if necessary, have an emergency surgery to stop the bleeding in the kidney.
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