Glomerulonephritis: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment
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Glomerulonephritis is inflammation of the kidneys’ microscopic filters. It can cause urinary blood or protein, hypertension and declining function. Several forms exist, with treatment determined by the cause and pace of deterioration.
What is Glomerulonephritis?
Disease may be acute or chronic, kidney-limited or part of a systemic illness. Not all glomerular disorders are inflammatory. A broad label or protein result alone cannot determine the right immune treatment.
Related reading: What should I do if my urine turns red or contains blood?.
Symptoms
Possible findings include dark urine or microscopic blood, foam, swelling, high blood pressure and reduced urine. Tests may detect disease without symptoms. Rash, joint pain or coughing blood can indicate involvement beyond the kidneys.
Causes
Causes include immune conditions such as lupus, vasculitis and IgA nephropathy, or responses to certain infections. Medicines may contribute, and sometimes no cause is clear. Infectious and immune causes require different management.
Risk factors
Certain immune diseases, infections or family history increase the likelihood of particular forms. Uncontrolled blood pressure and smoking also affect kidney health. Monitoring systemic disease matters even without kidney-area pain.
Diagnosis
Testing evaluates urine, protein loss, kidney function and electrolytes alongside blood pressure. Findings guide immune and infection tests and imaging. Kidney biopsy may establish the type, activity and scarring needed to plan treatment.
Treatment
Management addresses the cause, blood pressure, fluid overload and kidney protection. Immune medicines or infection treatment depend on the type; steroids are not automatically appropriate. Selected severe cases require urgent therapy or plasma exchange, and dialysis may be needed for major failure.
Complications
Inflammation can cause acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease and hypertension. Heavy protein loss may add risks such as thrombosis. Outcome depends on type, severity and treatment; permanent failure is not inevitable.
Prevention
Attend blood-pressure and laboratory monitoring and manage underlying disease. Avoid smoking and unsupervised kidney-harming painkillers. Salt, fluid, protein and potassium advice should match laboratory results rather than a single restrictive diet for everyone.
When to see a doctor
Markedly reduced urine, rapidly increasing swelling, breathlessness or coughing blood needs urgent assessment. Seek emergency care for severe symptoms or altered awareness. Even painless visible blood in urine requires evaluation of its source.