Glomerular diseases
Glomerular disease may be caused by an infection or a drug that is harmful to your kidneys. In other cases, it may be caused by a disease that affects the entire body, like diabetes or lupus. Many different diseases can cause swelling (inflammation) or scarring (sclerosis) of the glomerulus.
Your kidneys may be small, but they perform many vital functions that help maintain your overall health, including filtering waste and excess fluids from your blood. Your kidneys have about one million tiny filter units called nephrons. Each nephron has a glomerulus, so that means there are over one million of them too. More than one glomerulus are called glomeruli. Glomeruli work like strainers used in cooking. While blood moves through them, they let waste and extra water pass into the nephrons to make urine. At the same time, they hold back the protein and blood that your body needs. Many diseases affect kidney function by attacking the glomeruli. When the glomeruli become damaged and cannot do their job, it is called glomerular disease. Glomerular diseases include many conditions with many different causes.
What causes glomerular disease?
Glomerular disease may be caused by an infection or a drug that is harmful to your kidneys. In other cases, it may be caused by a disease that affects the entire body, like diabetes or lupus. Many different diseases can cause swelling (inflammation) or scarring (sclerosis) of the glomerulus. Sometimes glomerular disease is idiopathic, meaning it happens without any cause that can be found.
What are the signs and symptoms of glomerular disease?
One or more of the following can be the first sign of glomerular disease:
Blood in the urine (hematuria): Glomerular disease can cause your glomeruli to leak blood into your urine. Your urine may look pink or light brown from blood.
Protein in the urine (proteinuria): Glomerular disease can cause your glomeruli to leak protein into your urine. Your urine may be foamy because of the protein.
Edema: Glomerular disease can cause fluid to build up in your body. The extra fluid can cause swelling in body parts like your hands, ankles, or around your eyes.
If you have one or all of these symptoms, be sure to see your healthcare provider right away.
How is glomerular disease diagnosed?
The first clues are the signs and symptoms. Blood tests will help your healthcare provider tell you what type of illness you have and how much it has hurt your kidneys.
A simple test of your urine can confirm if there is blood or protein in the urine.
In some cases, a test called a kidney biopsy may be needed. In this test, a tiny piece of your kidney is removed with a special needle, and looked at under a microscope. A biopsy will help your healthcare provider plan the best treatment for you.
What treatment is available for glomerular disease?
Your healthcare provider will need to find what is causing your glomerular disease. The goals of treatment are to help your symptoms, avoid complications, and slow down the damage to your kidneys. Sometimes you may need medication or temporary treatment with an artificial kidney machine to remove extra fluid, control high blood pressure and treat kidney failure.
Overall, there is no one specific treatment that works for all glomerular diseases, but your doctor may tell you to:
Control your blood pressure and stop protein loss in the urine with drugs called ACE inhibitors or ARBs
Take diuretics (water pills) to treat swelling in ankles and feet
Make certain changes in your diet such as eating less salt
Take medications that make your immune system less active (for example, corticosteroids)
Will glomerular disease cause chronic kidney disease?
Over time, glomerular disease may stop your kidneys from getting rid of wastes in your blood. When this goes on for a long time, waste builds up in your blood, and you may have chronic kidney disease. This can progress to kidney failure. It is important to speak with your healthcare provider to find the treatment plan that works best for you and try to help slow down the damage to your kidneys.
What can I do to prevent glomerular disease?
It is important to pay attention to signs and symptoms and let your healthcare provider know as early as possible when you notice them. Treating conditions that can cause glomerular disease may help prevent it from getting worse and slow down the damage to your kidneys. Read more...
The pathophysiology of glomerular diseases is complex; most patients present with either nephritic syndrome (low-level proteinuria, microhematuria, oliguria, and hypertension) or nephrotic syndrome (high-level proteinuria and generalized edema). All glomerular diseases can progress to acute or chronic renal failure. Thus, quick diagnosis and immediate initiation of immunosuppressive therapy are required to prevent irreversible kidney damage.