Categories: Diseases & Conditions

Glomerulonephritis Kidney Disease Explained

Glomerulonephritis is a serious and chronic kidney disease in which the glomeruli of the kidneys become inflamed. The glomeruli plays a role along with the nephrons, to remove wastes from the blood.

The exact cause of glomerulonephritis is not exactly known, but the immune system, some researchers feel, can play a role in the destruction of kidneys. Glomerulonephritis also tends to run in families.

Signs and Symptoms of glomerulonephritis are:

1. Black or rusty urine

2. Urine that bubbles and foams a lot

As this kidney disease progresses, there will also probably be:

3. Weight Loss that cannot be explained

4. Upset stomach and vomiting

5. Feelings of unwellness

6. Tiredness

7. Urine output becomes smaller

8. Bad headaches

9. Bruising very quickly

10. Feeling confused and out of it

11. Leg cramps a lot

12. Skin appears jaundiced

13. A feeling of numbness in extremeties

14. High blood pressure

As glomerulonephritis progresses, there will be a large amount of swelling in the extremeties as well, and puffiness around the eye area.

Diagnosis of this kidney disease may happen with a urinalysis where both blood and protein are discovered. As doctors see this and then go further, a lab test would also probably show anemia in the blood .Further testing of creatnine, a substance which is supposed to be released by the kidneys along with other toxins, will show higher and higher levels the more kidneys fail to do their work. The GFR, which is the glomerular filtration rate will continue declining as a result, until the kidneys have completely failed to work.

Treatments will involve getting the blood pressure stabilized first of all. If the person with glomerulonephritis is not yet ready for dialysis, other medications to control the other medical issues connected with the kidneys will need to be aggressively treated. Diuretics may be given for the swelling of the extremeties that are taking place, and other drugs such as potassium binders may be needed since the kidneys are not filtering this essential electrolyte from the blood anymore. Calcium binders will also likely be part of the regime, since calcium is channeled by properly working kidneys, unless kidneys don’t work properly.Phosphates are also another body mineral that is not processed by kidneys that don’t filter properly. This is yet another medication that you will need in order to keep from having too much of this mineral in your system.

One of the important aspects of treating glomerulonephritis before it reaches failure altogether is the renal diet. The renal diet a person has will be assigned by a dietitian trained in the kidney diet plan. Foods will be prepared that are low in potassium, sodium since it causes fluid retention, table salt, phosphates, and of course calcium. This diet limits a lot of foods, but there are places online such as davita.com, that give hundreds of tips and recipes for a kidney diet.

Dialysis is usually inevitable in many cases of chronic glomerulonephritis. As the failing kidneys reach this stage unfortunately, you will have choices of hemodialysis, or periotoneal dialysis. There are also options for doing your own dialysis at home rather than at a center. Home dialysis gives many people much more freedom and less fluid restrictions in their diet daily.

Transplantation is certainly a wonderful thing once you get the matching donor. There are many waiting lists, but also some better options out there than can help you get the donor quicker. Talk to your nephrologist about these options, and what exactly is available out there. The sooner you receive a donor, the better since a kidney transplant gives you a better quality of life, while dialysis, though life-sustaining, is very difficult to live with no matter how you slice it.