Urological Disorders

Glomerulonephritis

What is glomerulonephritis?

Glomerulonephritis is a kidney disease in which the kidneys' filters become inflamed and scarred, and slowly lose their ability to remove wastes and excess water from the blood to make urine. Kidney disease of diabetes, IgA nephropathy, and lupus nephritis are some types of glomerulonephritis.

What are symptoms of glomerulonephritis?

The kidneys can be severely damaged before any symptoms appear. Evidence of glomerulonephritis may include:

fatigue
high blood pressure
noticeable swelling of the face, hands, feet, and ankles
blood and protein in the urine

How is glomerulonephritis treated?

Unfortunately, with today's medicine, kidney disease cannot be cured. Therefore, treatments focus on slowing the progression of the disease and preventing complications. An appropriate treatment protocol will be established by your physician based on your condition and symptoms, and may include the following:

drug therapy, such as ACE (angiotensin converting enzymes) inhibitors
diet modification, including limiting protein (to reduce the build-up of wastes in the blood), sodium and potassium
dialysis
kidney transplantation

This page was last updated on: February 28, 2008.

For more information, call the University Physicians Consultation and Referral Service at 1-800-492-5538 (patients) or 1-800-373-4111 (physicians).