Symptoms and treatment of glomerulonephritis

What does the diagnosis of glomerulonephritis mean? This term is called kidney inflammation, in which their main structure - the glomerulus - is damaged due to disturbances in the work of their own immunity. Symptoms of glomerulonephritis appear usually after some of the diseases (especially streptococcal angina), hypothermia, against autoimmune and rheumatic diseases, less often due to toxic causes. Both kidneys are affected at once.

How is the kidney?

This paired organ has a very intense blood supply. It is in the kidney that a lot of blood vessels are woven and working so harmoniously that they were called "a wonderful network". Such an active blood supply is necessary in order to perform the basic function - every second to filter blood, separate unnecessary components and some water and remove them with urine, so the body is called "ultrafiltrate plasma." Thus, for a day, the kidneys "treat" about 150 liters of plasma, and in the end, about 1.5 liters of filtrate are obtained (normal in children and adults it should be at least 1 ml / kg of body weight per hour, but not more than 3 Ml / kg / hour).

There are two main points in the work of the kidney:

1) The filtration, in which the glomerular gland participates. Blood passes through a specific "sieve". As a result, proteins, cellular elements and some of the water return to the bloodstream, and substances dissolved in the plasma go further into the tubules of the nephron.

2) Reverse suction. With the help of this mechanism, the blood is repeatedly processed in the tubules, and a very small percentage of the initial amount of liquid, little needed electrolytes, nitrogen, toxic substances and drugs that are dissolved in the plasma get into the urine.

In addition to the fact that the kidney filters the blood, it is still involved in the production of substances necessary to lower blood pressure, as well as substances that stimulate the formation of red blood cells.

What causes symptoms of glomerulonephritis?

1. Streptococcal infection: lacunar or follicular angina (most often), pharyngitis, pustular skin lesions - impetigo. In this case, the immunity "remembers" what the antigens of the enemy-streptococcus look like, and since the structure of the kidney tissue resembles this bacterium, the glomerulus of the renal nephron is also affected.
2. Other infections:

- bacterial: sepsis, pneumonia, endocarditis caused by coccal flora, meningococcal, typhoid fever ;

- Viral: hepatitis B, "mumps", chicken pox, enterovirus;

- diseases caused by protozoa: malaria, toxoplasmosis.

3. Introduction of various immune preparations, serums, vaccines. In this case, the immunity "reacts" to foreign proteins (these preparations are made on the basis of proteins of various animals, for example, horses). The complex "antigen plus its own antibody" is deposited near the glomerulus of the kidney and damages it.

4. Systemic diseases: nodular periarteritis, lupus, Goodpasture syndrome, vasculitis. In these cases, antibodies are often formed to the main component of the glomerulus of the kidney - the membrane.

5. Some birth defects of the immune system.

6. Infringement of blood supply to the kidney in conditions of supercooling and high humidity.

Symptoms of glomerulonephritis

The disease can be acute, subacute (most malignant) and chronic. At the heart of each species is more or less severe damage to the glomeruli (sometimes other parts of the kidney), resulting in the penetration of both the protein and blood cells into the urine. The protein itself keeps the fluid in the bloodstream. When it is less, it holds little in the vessels, it goes to the tissues. So get edema. In addition, there are also proteins such as globulins, which makes the body more susceptible to infections.

Because of the loss of blood cells in the urine, anemia develops. In addition, the mechanism of stimulation of the formation of new erythrocytes also suffers. Also, the process of producing a substance that lowers blood pressure is disturbed.

Acute glomerulonephritis symptoms have different, varying degrees of severity. They appear 1-2 weeks after vaccination or infectious disease, can develop violently, can gradually. The main symptoms of glomerulonephritis are:

- weakness, headache, nausea, decreased appetite;

- increase in body temperature;

- decrease in the amount of urine;

- the appearance of aching pain in the lower back on both sides;

- urine can be red, brown ("color of meat slops"), sometimes the hue changes imperceptibly, but in the results of urine analysis it is indicated that there is a large number of altered red blood cells;

- Also, when a general analysis of urine can reveal that there is a protein, leukocytes in large quantities, cylinders;

- the face and lower legs become edematous, while swelling can be as dense or soft, easily displaced; There is a tendency to spread them to the abdomen, lower back;

- If the loss of protein is large, the fluid swells both into the pleural, and into the abdominal cavity, and into the heart bag: dyspnea increases, it is difficult to move, pulmonary edema may develop;

- Increases blood pressure to different digits;

- the skin is pale, dry;

- The hair is dull, brittle.

There may be a different combination of symptoms, but usually without the appearance of blood in the urine, reducing its number and edema, the disease does not do. Very rarely the disease has no pronounced manifestations. A person does not go anywhere until the time when a large number of glomeruli cease to function.

If acute glomerulonephritis can not be overcome within a year, it is considered that it has passed into a chronic form. This is facilitated by:

- foci of chronic infection (chronic tonsillitis or sinusitis, caries);

- available allergic and autoimmune diseases;

- frequent ARI in this period.

The chronic process can also manifest itself in a different combination of symptoms:

- only blood in the urine, edema and no increase in pressure;

- there is hypertension, and swelling, and the allocation of a large amount of protein in the urine;

- The main symptom is an increase in blood pressure, there is almost no edema, and changes in the urine are almost imperceptible "by sight";

- you can only see changes in the urine, if you pass it to the analysis, there is no swelling and no pressure build-up.

At the same time, if some factor provokes an exacerbation of the chronic process, the symptoms will be more vivid, expressed as in acute glomerulonephritis.

Treatment of glomerulonephritis

Therapy at first time is carried out only in a hospital. A person is assigned a bed rest and a salt-free diet with a very small amount of proteins and fluids. If there is evidence confirming that the cause of the disease is a bacterial process in the body, then the infection center is sanitized, antibiotics can be prescribed. On what symptoms glomerulonephritis shows, and the treatment depends.

Such therapies are also used for therapy:

- hormones, glucocorticoids, as well as cytostatics, which stop the self-destruction of the kidneys;

- drugs that improve blood flow in the kidneys;

- diuretics;

- antihypertensive medications;

- If necessary, intravenously injected protein preparations, erythrocyte mass (with low hemoglobin).