Glomerulonephritis Treatment in Delhi, India

The various signs and symptoms linked with Glomerulonephritis have been divided into three stages as follows:

Acute Glomerulonephritis

• Puffiness in the facial area
• Reduced micturition
• Haematuria
• Extra fluid in the lungs causes coughing
• High blood pressure levels

Chronic Glomerulonephritis

• Blood or excess protein in the urine, which on microscopic examination shows up in urine analysis
• High blood pressure levels
• Swelling around ankles and face
• Frequent urination during the night
• Bubbly or foamy urine from excess protein
• Abdominal pain
• Frequent nosebleed episodes

Kidney Failure

• Lack of appetite
• Muscle cramps at night
• Fatigue
• Dry, itchy skin
• Insomnia
• Nausea and vomiting

Many conditions are responsible for glomerulonephritis. Sometimes the disease runs in families and has a genetic factor involved, whereas in other cases; the cause is completely unknown. Conditions that can lead to nephritis include:

Infections

• Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis: Glomerulonephritis may develop in a patient around two weeks post-recovery from a throat infection or, rarely, a skin infection called impetigo. To fight against the infection, the body produces extra antibodies that accumulate in the glomeruli, causing inflammation.

  Children are more prone to develop post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis than adults, and they're also more likely to recover quickly.

• Bacterial endocarditis: Occasionally, the bacteria can spread through the bloodstream and accumulate in the heart, causing an infection of one or more heart valves. Patients with a heart defect, such as a damaged or artificial heart valve, are at a greater risk of developing this condition.
• Viral infections: Certain viral infections HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, can end up provoking nephritis.

Immune diseases

• Lupus: Being a chronic inflammatory disease, this can influence several parts of the body, including skin, joints, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs.
• Goodpasture's syndrome: A rare immunological lung disorder, it causes bleeding in the lungs and glomerulonephritis as well.
• IgA nephropathy: This primary glomerular disease results from the deposition of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the glomeruli.

Vasculitis

• Polyarteritis: This form of vasculitis targets small and medium blood vessels in many parts of the body, primarily the regions of the heart, kidneys, and intestines.
• Granulomatosis with polyangiitis: This affects small and medium blood vessels in the area of the lungs, upper airways, and kidneys.

Conditions likely to give rise to scarring of the glomeruli

• High blood pressure: This can damage the kidneys and limit their tendency to function normally. It also reduces kidney function and influences the rate at which kidneys handle sodium levels in the body.
• Diabetic nephropathy: This can affect people with diabetes, usually taking several years to evolve—maintenance of blood sugar levels and blood pressure results in the prevention of kidney impairment.
• Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis: This is generally characterised by scattered scarring of some of the glomeruli.

In addition to the mentioned cases above, nephritis is associated with certain types of cancers, such as multiple myeloma, lung cancer, and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).

Glomerulonephritis is diagnosed during the early phases when a routine urinalysis examination is abnormal. Various tests to assess kidney function and make a diagnosis of glomerulonephritis include:

• Urine test: A urinalysis might show the presence of red blood cells and red cell casts in a urine sample which is an indicator of possible damage to the glomeruli. Urinalysis results might also indicate the presence of white blood cells, which is indicative of infection or inflammation. Apart from that, increased protein indicates nephron damage.
• Blood tests: These can reveal information about possible kidney damage and glomerular impairment by measurement of creatinine and blood urea nitrogen.
• Imaging tests: If the doctor detects evidence of damage, they may advise diagnostic studies that allow visualisation of kidneys as detected by a kidney X-ray, an ultrasound, or a CT scan.
• Kidney biopsy: This procedure uses a special needle to extract small pieces of kidney tissue for microscopic examination to determine the cause of the inflammation. A kidney biopsy is almost always necessary to confirm a diagnosis of glomerulonephritis.

Treatment depends on the factors responsible for causing glomerulonephritis and the damage levels to glomeruli. Patients with mild symptoms may not require any treatment as such. Apart from that, the doctor will recommend the following things:

• Dietary changes such as less intake of protein, salt, and potassium.
• Corticosteroids
• Dialysis to clear blood, remove extra fluid, and control blood pressure levels.
• Diuretics to decrease swelling.
• Immunosuppressants
• Medicine to control blood pressure levels, such as ACE inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers.
• Plasmapheresis

There are no specific means to prevent the occurrence of glomerulonephritis, although certain practices may surely benefit:

• Intake of a healthy and unprocessed diet.
• Management of high blood pressure with a low salt diet, exercise and medication.
• Prevent infections by practising good hygiene and safe sex. Also, avoid using needles for illegal drugs and tattoos.
• See a healthcare provider whenever you think you have an infection like strep throat.
• Control your blood sugar to help prevent diabetic nephropathy.

The following complications can also occur due to nephritis:

• Acute kidney failure
• Chronic kidney disease
• Electrolyte imbalance, such as high levels of sodium or potassium
• Chronic urinary tract infection
• Congestive heart failure due to retained fluid or fluid overload
• Pulmonary oedema due to retained fluid or fluid overload
• High blood pressure
• Malignant hypertension, which is rapidly increasing high blood pressure
• Increased risk of infections

If caught early, acute GN can be temporary and reversible. Chronic GN may be slowed with early treatment. If your GN worsens, it will likely lead to reduced kidney function, chronic kidney failure, and end-stage renal disease.

The following are positive steps to recover from GN and prevent future episodes:

• Maintain a healthy weight
• Restrict salt in your diet
• Restrict protein in your diet
• Restrict potassium in your diet
• Quit smoking

Other patients may establish long-term health issues that include:

• Blood clots, e.g. DVT or pulmonary embolism (PE)
• Chronic kidney disease
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• High cholesterol
• Kidney failure, quickly or after several years
• Nephritic syndromes