Glomerular Diseases
Overview
Glomerular diseases refer to conditions that affect the glomeruli, the tiny filtering units within the kidneys. These diseases impair the kidneys’ ability to filter waste and excess fluids, leading to symptoms like swelling, high blood pressure, and protein or blood in the urine. Glomerular diseases can be caused by infections, autoimmune conditions, genetic disorders, or other systemic diseases. Early detection and treatment are crucial to prevent kidney damage and preserve kidney function.
What is glomerulonephritis?
Glomerulonephritis is a type of kidney disease. It involves damage to the glomeruli (tiny filters) inside your kidneys. If you have glomerulonephritis, your kidneys can have trouble removing waste and fluid from your body. Many mild cases resolve with treatment. If the condition becomes severe, it can lead to kidney failure.
How do glomeruli help your kidneys?
Glomeruli are tiny filtering units made of capillaries (tiny blood vessels) in your kidneys. You have almost a million of them. Their job is to remove waste and extra fluid from your blood. It’s the first step in the process of making pee. If something damages them, they can’t do their job. This means your kidneys may not work as well.
What are the symptoms of glomerulonephritis?
People with glomerulonephritis often don’t experience any warning signs of the disease. But symptoms can include:
- Blood in your pee, which may make it look brown, pink or red.
- Nausea.
- Rash
- Shortness of breath.
- Pain in your joints or abdomen.
- Peeing less often or more often than usual.
- Swelling in your legs or face.
- Pee that appears foamy or bubbly.
- High blood pressure.
- Jaundice.
- Weight loss or loss of appetite.
Contact a healthcare provider if you have one or more of these symptoms. Many other health conditions can cause similar symptoms. Your healthcare provider can evaluate your symptoms and tell you if glomerulonephritis is a possible diagnosis.
What causes glomerulonephritis?
The reason glomerulonephritis appears is often unknown. But causes may include:
- A complication of bacterial endocarditis, an infection in your heart valves.
- A complication of infections like strep throat, HIV or hepatitis C.
- Problems with your immune system attacking healthy parts of your body, such as with lupus.
- Anti-GBM disease (formerly Goodpasture syndrome), a group of autoimmune diseases that affect your lungs and kidneys.
- IgA nephropathy, a kidney disease caused by a buildup of abnormal IgA antibody (immunoglobulin A).
- Rare diseases that inflame blood vessels like granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly Wegener’s disease), microscopic polyangiitis, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, or eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly Churg-Strauss syndrome).
- Genetics, meaning it runs in your biological family (this is rare).
- Certain types of cancer (like multiple myeloma).
What are the complications of glomerulonephritis?
Some people develop complications from glomerulonephritis. Glomerulonephritis affects your kidney’s ability to remove waste from your bloodstream. Specific complications include:
- Blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE).
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD).
- Hypertension (high blood pressure).
- High cholesterol.
- Kidney failure, which can happen quickly or after several years.
- Nephrotic syndrome (nephrosis), with protein in your pee, often leading to foamy pee and swelling in your body.
How is glomerulonephritis diagnosed?
Glomerulonephritis may not produce symptoms. That’s why it’s often discovered during tests for another concern. If a healthcare provider suspects you have glomerulonephritis, they may refer you to a kidney specialist and/or you may have the following tests:
- Urine test: This test will determine if you have protein or blood in your urine.
- Blood test: This test will measure the level of creatinine (a waste product your kidneys filter) in a sample of your blood.
- Kidney biopsy: A healthcare provider will use a needle to remove a piece of tissue from your kidney and send it to a lab for analysis.
- Imaging tests: Your provider may order imaging tests such as ultrasound, X-ray or CT scan. These tests check the size and shape of your kidneys, look for blockages and help diagnose other problems.