Nephritic syndrome (patient information): Difference between revisions

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*Swelling of the spaces between the cells of the kidney tissue
*Swelling of the spaces between the cells of the kidney tissue
*[[Acute kidney failure]]
*[[Acute kidney failure]]
==Who is at highest risk?==
Infections with [[Group A Streptococcal bacateria]](APSGN)


==When to seek urgent medical care?==
==When to seek urgent medical care?==

Revision as of 14:15, 11 August 2011

For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here

Editors-in-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. Associate Editor-In-Chief: Ujjwal Rastogi, MBBS [1]

Nephritic syndrome

Overview

What are the symptoms?

What are the causes?

Who is at highest risk?

When to seek urgent medical care?

Diagnosis

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for Nephritic syndrome?

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Possible complications

Prevention

Nephritic syndrome On the Web

Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov

Images of Nephritic syndrome

Videos on Nephritic syndrome

FDA on Nephritic syndrome

CDC on Nephritic syndrome

Nephritic syndrome in the news

Blogs on Nephritic syndrome

Directions to Hospitals Treating Nephritic syndrome

Risk calculators and risk factors for Nephritic syndrome

Overview

Acute nephritic syndrome is a group of disorders that cause swelling or inflammation of the internal kidney structures (specifically, the glomeruli).

Nephritic syndrome is a type of glomerulonephritis.

What are the symptoms of Nephritic syndrome?

Common symptoms of nephritic syndrome are:

  • Swelling of the face, eye socket, legs, arms, hands, feet, abdomen, or other areas
  • Blood in the urine (urine appears dark, tea colored, or cloudy)
  • Decreased urine volume (little or no urine may be produced)

Other symptoms that may occur include:

  • Blurred vision
  • General aches and pains (joint pain, muscle aches)
  • General ill feeling (malaise)
  • Headache
  • Slow, sluggish, lethargic movement
  • Cough containing mucus or pink, frothy material
  • Decreased alertness, drowsiness, confusion

Patients may develop symptoms of acute kidney failure or end-stage renal disease.

What causes Nephritic syndrome?

Acute nephritic syndrome is often caused by an immune response that is triggered by an infection or other disease.

Frequent causes in children and adolescents include the following:

Frequent causes in adults include:

The inflammation disrupts the functioning of the glomerulus, which is the part of the kidney that controls filtering and getting rid of wastes. This disruption results in blood and protein appearing in the urine, and the buildup of excess fluid in the body. Swelling occurs when protein is lost from the bloodstream. (Protein maintains fluid within the blood vessels, and when it is lost the fluid collects in the tissues of the body). Blood loss from the damaged kidney structures leads to blood in the urine.

Acute nephritic syndrome may be associated with the development of:

  • High blood pressure
  • Swelling of the spaces between the cells of the kidney tissue
  • Acute kidney failure

Who is at highest risk?

Infections with Group A Streptococcal bacateria(APSGN)

When to seek urgent medical care?

Call your health care provider if you have symptoms of acute nephritic syndrome.

Diagnosis

During an examination, your health care provider may find the following signs:

  • High blood pressure
  • Signs of fluid overload (when examining the abdomen)
  • Enlarged liver
  • Abnormal heart and lung sounds
  • Enlarged neck veins from increased pressure
  • General swelling
  • Signs of acute kidney failure

Tests that may be done include:

Treatment options

The goal of treatment is to reduce the inflammation. You may need to stay in a hospital to have acute nephritic syndrome diagnosed and treated. The cause must be identified and treated. Treatment may include antibiotics or other medications or therapies.

Your doctor may recommend bedrest. You may need to limit salt, fluids, and potassium in your diet. Your health care provider may prescribe medications to control high blood pressure. Corticosteroids or other anti-inflammatory medications may be used to reduce inflammation.

Other treatment of acute kidney failure may be appropriate.

Where to find medical care for Nephritic syndrome?

Directions to Hospitals Treating Nephritic syndrome

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

The outlook depends on the disease causing the nephritis. When the condition improves, symptoms of fluid retention (such as swelling and cough) and high blood pressure may go away in 1 or 2 weeks. However, urine tests take months to return to normal.

Children tend to do better than adults and usually recover completely. Only rarely do they develop complications or progress to chronic glomerulonephritis.

Adults do not recover as well or as quickly as children. Although it is unusual for the disease to return, at least one-third of adults whose acute nephritic syndrome does return will eventually develop end-stage kidney disease.

Possible complications

Prevention

Many times the disorder cannot be prevented, although treatment of illness and infection may help to reduce the risk.

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