What is Granuloma?
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A granuloma is a medical condition characterized by a noncancerous inflammation in the tissue. Typically, a granuloma encompasses only a small part of the tissue. For the most part, a person with a granuloma does not experience any signs or symptoms. In fact, most granulomas are found through an x-ray that is performed for unrelated reasons. When found during an x-ray examination, the granuloma is often mistaken for cancer.
The majority of granulomas are the result of an injury to the tissue, particularly as the result of infection. In some cases, a granuloma may occur in the lungs as well. In fact, the most common cause of granuloma is a fungal infection in the lungs, which is called histoplasmosis. Other conditions associated with a granuloma formation include berylliosis, syphilis, sarcoidosis, Crohn’s disease, tuberculosis, Churg-Strauss syndrome, and Wegener’s granulomatosis.
The granuloma that forms as the result of these conditions is generally a calcified granuloma. This type of granuloma contains deposits of calcium and usually takes time to develop. Therefore, most granulomas have been present in the body for a very long time before they are identified.
Another form of granuloma is granuloma inguinale, which is a bacterial infection of the genital area. This form of granuloma is caused by a bacteria called Calymmatobacterium granulomatis and mostly affects individuals living in tropical and subtropical regions, such as Guyana, Southeast India, and New Guinea. In addition, this sexually transmitted form of granuloma affects men more often than women, particularly homosexual males. An individual with granuloma inguinale develops blisters or lumps in the genital region, which ultimately become open sores. It takes about 80 years after exposure for granuloma inguinale to develop into open sores.
It is essential for granuloma inguinale to be treated right away, as it can cause a great deal of damage to the genitals and can spread to other areas of the body. In order to treat the condition, it is generally necessary to take antibiotics and to allow the area to heal for three to five weeks. In addition, a person who becomes infected by granuloma inguinale is capable of catching the disease again at a later time.
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34
re: cactus granuloma. After a cactus injury, a granuloma has formed. When the injury heals, will the granuloma disappear? How do you treat this type granuloma? - anon57179
33
what will i do about my result for my x-ray that i have tiny calcific density, left upper lung, granuloma. what does that mean? what treatment must i have? - anon54889
32
My latest x-ray report stated that suspicious tiny nodule calcified density apex cann right granuloma. i have applied for work abroad and i failed the medical examination. what i can do to get rid of the granuloma and to pass the medical examination? Please help me --Emma D. - anon50625
31
i'm kifayat and i'm suffering from a granuloma in my large intestine. The doctors said that it's incurable. can someone inform me if it is curable or not. Is it dangerous for my life?
What kind of medicines or treatments can be taken to cure it? Please help guys. - kifayat
30
i am ajay. i am suffering with a granuloma in my brain for for five years. it is taking a long time to cure. what is the best medicine? - anon45258
27
i have been having some pains under my ribs and just above my stomach on my left. so i had an ultrasound done and everything came back clear except my spleen. it showed up numerous calcific foci are present within my spleen and these would almost certainly be granulomata, and that there are no suspicious features, but it is uncomfortable. it has been for over a month now and i really just want to get rid of it. i have seen the doctor and he says everything is fine and there is nothing to worry about, but it feels like there should be. can you please help me clear it up? - anon42673
26
My daughter age 8 and 1/2 years has just been treated for a calcified granuloma. is it dangerous to her life? kindly help and save my daughter. - anon41345
25
Recently after ct scan found that my daughter has calcified granuloma. is it dangerous to her life and please provide your suggestions for resolving the situation. - anon41343
24
My latest x-ray report it states Granuloma left lung. I have applied for work abroad and I failed the Medical Examination. why is that? Is there anything i can do to get rid of the granuloma and to pass the medical examination? Please help me....
-weng - anon40374
23
good evening and morning. i'm a student nurse. i have some questions about granuloma. my patient is 10 years of age and the diagnosis of my patient is CHD and DORV and PS. The question is what is the connection of a craniotomy to the granuloma? and how to be treated of that kinds of problem? Please answer the question. i want to know more about of that kind of problem! Thanks - anon40277
21
the doctor saw a calcifed granuloma in the right lower zone on my chest X ray. all other reports are ok. so what may it be? in report it is not specified in any organ. what should i do now? - anon38929
20
From X-ray the doctor confirm that i had a calcific focus in the right lower zone and suggestive of granuloma.is there any treatment?is it a major problem? what should i do? and what precautions should i take! thank you - ppeterpaul
19
How to treat a granuloma on the facial skin?? - aagenswg
18
My cousin had a granuloma on his lung, near his heart. It had grown when a second pet-scan was performed. It was operated on, using VATS and is a complete success. If the doctors had been sure it was a granuloma, and not cancer, perhaps he would not had have the surgery. - anon29409
17
For anon26382:I really don't know about the decrease of the blood flow. I was told that my gums kept over healing and that is why it took 6 months to heal. I would think that over healing would be too much blood flow. I am sorry that I cannot answer your question. - anon26408
16
Does a granuloma results in decreased blood flow to the affected area? - anon26382
15
My opthamologist diagnosed a granuloma on my lower eyelid. He said he would not remove it because it would spread and probably be malignant. There were no tests done on the tissue. I plan on getting a second opinion when I go to the states, I am in Mexico now. Thank you. - salsa
14
Hi, This is for emlmc. I also had a granuloma of the gums when I was 11. My upper gums were removed, but the granuloma continued to grow back and my gums had to be cauterized every other day for 6 months. I was told that it was caused by a stomach sore in my mouth. I have since had more trouble with Cushing's disease and had brain surgery June of 07. My oldest daughter has ITP. I wonder if any of this is inter-related? - Devjan
13
recently i had a non contrast helical c.t. examination of the urinary tract which revealed :- " the spleen is of normal size, showing tiny calcific focus ... likely of granuloma." all of the items of the examination were normal. now the question is " is this granuloma something i should worry about, and what should i do now?
- kimo60
12
I have a granuloma on the right lower lobe of my lung and my doctor told me it was nothing to worry about but if it grew any bigger they would have to do a biopsy. Is this true and what happens when a person has the granuloma as I do? - dianemac
11
i have a granuloma in the left apex how can we avoid this kind of this. Is their any treatment or medication of this kind of disease and what is it?
- anon21262
10
My Xray finding was left granuloma. is there any treatment for granuloma to clear up my lungs? - anon19163
9
I had an initial finding of a small granuloma on my right part of my lung. Any medicine I can take? - anon17808
8
I also had a granuloma on or near my vocal cords. It was caused by LPRD, a form of GERD (acid reflux), in which acid comes up your throat and can burn your vocal cords. I think the granulomas are formed in response to the acid damage.When you clear up the LPRD, the body is able to heal the granuloma on its own. If you treat just the granuloma and not the underlying cause, it'll end up coming back. - anon17322
7
I had a granuloma on or near my vocal cord. Unfortunately, the doctor I initially used really didn't know what he was seeing and removed it 3 times, using the cliche, "this thing needs to be in a bottle, not in your throat."Finally, after 3 operations and much discomfort, I went to a new and highly regarded throat doctor. He took one look at the granuloma, brought me a medical book with a picture of one, and said, "We're not going to do anything. It'll eventually sluff off. He was correct; it must've sluffed off and not returned. That was 12 years ago! - anon16590
6
i had my x-ray for a month from now. it is stated in my x-ray impression that i had a calcific granuloma i'm not quite sure of which part. but it did scare me. what should i do?! thank you - anon14722
5
I have a history of PTB and been treated for 1 year.
My latest x-ray report it states Granuloma (Left Apix). I have applied for work abroad and I failed the Medical Examination. why is that? Is there anything i can do to get rid of the granuloma and to pass the medical examination? Please help me.... - confuse21
4
Good gosh dont cut off the tip of your thumb!!!! Wait until the last minute. You can go on line and read all types of things on granuloma, and granuloma anulara (spelling). Anyway, look around, some sites tell you this will go away!!! - anon3854
3
I have granuloma on my thumb. I had a biopsy done last January, then in May when it grew back, it was cauterized with an electrical torch. It healed and grew back again. Yesterday, my Dr. repeated the procedure of burning it. Next month he is going to cut off the top of my thumb. I'm having a hard time finding info about this condition on my thumb. Can you help me? - Beth
2
At 15 I had a giant cell granuloma in my upper gum which had apparantly been destroying the tissue in my gums along with the roots of my front teeth. I had surgery to remove the granuloma and two teeth. Although this happened a few years ago, I still have very little understanding of what a granuloma is and what caused it to occur- I have never suffered any injury to the mouth in the past so this is an unlikely cause. Can anybody shed light on this matter for me? Is it likely to reoccur? - emlmc
1
I have just been treated for pneumonia. In my final x-ray report it states that all fields in the lungs are clear, but there is a small opacity in the left lung suggesting granuloma. My doctor says that there is totally nothing to worry about. But he only told me about it after I saw the report and asked him about it. Is there really, absolutely, completely, nothing to worry about? - anon129
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Shannon Kietzman
Last Modified: 15 January 2010
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