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Glomerulonephritis (gloe-mer-u-low-nuh-FRY-
tis) is inflammation of the tiny filters in your
kidneys (glomeruli). Glomeruli remove excess
fluid, electrolytes and waste from your
bloodstream and pass them into your urine.
Glomerulonephritis can come on suddenly
(acute) or gradually (chronic). Kidney cross section
Blood enters your kidneys
Glomerulonephritis occurs on its own or as part through your renal arteries.
Your kidneys remove excess
of another disease, such as lupus or diabetes.
fluid and waste material from
Severe or prolonged inflammation associated your blood through units called
with glomerulonephritis can damage your nephrons. Each nephron Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or
kidneys. Treatment depends on the type of contains a filter (glomerulus) products. Advertising revenue supports our not-
that has a network of tiny for-profit mission.
glomerulonephritis you have.
blood vessels called
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capillaries. The glomeruli filter
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Symptoms waste products and
substances your body needs
— such as sodium,
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Glomerulonephritis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
Glomerulonephritis signs and symptoms include:
Pink or cola-colored urine from red blood
cells in your urine (hematuria)
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/glomerulonephritis/sym...
through the ureters — the
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Foamy urine due to excess protein (proteinuria)

High blood pressure (hypertension)

Fluid retention (edema) with swelling evident in your face, hands, feet
and abdomen

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with your doctor promptly if you have signs or

symptoms that concern you.

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Causes
Many conditions can cause glomerulonephritis. Sometimes the disease runs
in families and sometimes the cause is unknown. Conditions that can lead to
inflammation of the kidneys' glomeruli include:

Infections

Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. Glomerulonephritis may

develop a week or two after recovery from a strep throat infection or,
rarely, a skin infection (impetigo). To fight the infection, your body
produces extra antibodies that can eventually settle in the glomeruli,
causing inflammation.

Children are more likely to develop post-streptococcal

glomerulonephritis than are adults, and they're also more likely to
recover quickly.

Bacterial endocarditis. Bacteria occasionally can spread through your

bloodstream and lodge in your heart, causing an infection of one or
more of your heart valves. You're at greater risk of this condition if you
have a heart defect, such as a damaged or artificial heart valve.
Bacterial endocarditis is associated with glomerular disease, but the
connection between the two is unclear.

Viral infections. Viral infections, such as the human immunodeficiency

virus (HIV), hepatitis B and hepatitis C, can trigger glomerulonephritis.

Immune diseases
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Glomerulonephritis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/glomerulonephritis/sym...
Lupus. A chronic inflammatory disease, lupus can affect many parts of
your body, including your skin, joints, kidneys, blood cells, heart and
lungs.

Goodpasture's syndrome. A rare immunological lung disorder that

can mimic pneumonia, Goodpasture's syndrome causes bleeding in
your lungs as well as glomerulonephritis.

IgA nephropathy. Characterized by recurrent episodes of blood in the

urine, this primary glomerular disease results from deposits of
immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the glomeruli. IgA nephropathy can progress
for years with no noticeable symptoms.

Vasculitis

Polyarteritis. This form of vasculitis affects small and medium blood

vessels in many parts of your body, such as your heart, kidneys and
intestines.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis. This form of vasculitis, formerly

known as Wegener's granulomatosis, affects small and medium blood
vessels in your lungs, upper airways and kidneys.

Conditions likely to cause scarring of the glomeruli

High blood pressure. This can damage your kidneys and impair their
ability to function normally. Glomerulonephritis can also lead to high
blood pressure because it reduces kidney function and can influence
how your kidneys handle sodium.

Diabetic kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy). This can affect

anyone with diabetes, usually taking years to develop. Good control of
blood sugar levels and blood pressure might prevent or slow kidney
damage.

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Characterized by scattered

scarring of some of the glomeruli, this condition can result from another
disease or occur for no known reason.

Infrequently, chronic glomerulonephritis runs in families. One inherited form,

Alport syndrome, also might impair hearing or vision.

In addition to the causes listed above, glomerulonephritis is associated with

certain cancers, such as multiple myeloma, lung cancer and chronic
lymphocytic leukemia.

Complications
Glomerulonephritis can damage your kidneys so that they lose their filtering

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Glomerulonephritis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/glomerulonephritis/sym...
ability. As a result, dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes and waste build up
in your body.

Possible complications of glomerulonephritis include:

Acute kidney failure. Loss of function in the filtering part of the

nephron can result in rapid accumulation of waste products. You might
need emergency dialysis — an artificial means of removing extra fluids
and waste from your blood — typically by an artificial kidney machine.

Chronic kidney disease. Your kidneys gradually lose their filtering

ability. Kidney function that deteriorates to less than 10 percent of
normal capacity results in end-stage kidney disease, which requires
dialysis or a kidney transplant to sustain life.

High blood pressure. Damage to your kidneys and the resulting

buildup of wastes in the bloodstream can raise your blood pressure.

Nephrotic syndrome. With this syndrome, too much protein in your

urine results in too little protein in your blood. Nephrotic syndrome can
be associated with high blood cholesterol and swelling (edema) of the
eyelids, feet and abdomen.

Prevention
There may be no way to prevent most forms of glomerulonephritis. However,
here are some steps that might be beneficial:

Seek prompt treatment of a strep infection with a sore throat or

impetigo.

To prevent infections that can lead to some forms of glomerulonephritis,

such as HIV and hepatitis, follow safe-sex guidelines and avoid
intravenous drug use.

Control high blood pressure, which lessens the likelihood of damage to

your kidneys from hypertension.

Control your blood sugar to help prevent diabetic nephropathy.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

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Glomerulonephritis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/glomerulonephritis/sym...
Print March 08, 2018
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