Question

What is a cyst?

Answer 1

Cyst usually looks like a swollen, reddish sac like structure that is filled with fluid or air and it results due to an infection. It can occur in people of different age groups and also at any location in your body. It can be seen externally on the skin or internally in organs like ovaries, mammary glands etc.

Complete answer:
By the above mentioned features, you can easily identify a cyst if it occurs externally. But, when there is a cyst in internal organs you may need to go for imaging studies like CT scan or X-ray. Why is a cyst formed? These are usually formed as a result of tumors, infections, inflammation or may be inherited sometimes. When you touch the skin or breasts,you can feel an abnormal lump that would be a sign of the presence of cyst. Depending upon the location, the symptoms may vary. These cysts can also be dangerous as these are associated with cancers. It can also occur due to bacterial infection where the cyst gets filled with pus. The cysts formed on the epidermis are called epidermoid cysts which can go away without any treatment.

Note:
In this context of cysts, there is a condition called PCOS/PCOD which is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which is quite common among women. This is an abnormal condition where the ovaries start releasing many eggs in immature form which would turn up into cyst. This may show some symptoms like irregular menstrual cycles, infertility,weight gain etc.