Glomerulonephritis

Glomerulonephritis is inflammation or injury affecting the kidney’s glomeruli, the capillary tufts that filter blood. It can reduce filtration and cause blood or protein to appear in urine.

Glomerulus: A network of capillaries in a nephron that filters blood into the urinary space. This is the kidney structure inflamed or damaged in glomerulonephritis.
IgA nephropathy: A glomerular disease in which IgA-containing immune deposits accumulate in the mesangium. It is a common primary glomerulonephritis and often causes recurrent hematuria.
Immune complex: A complex formed when antibodies bind antigens, sometimes depositing in tissues and triggering inflammation. Immune-complex deposition causes several major forms of glomerulonephritis.
Urinalysis: Laboratory examination of urine for cells, protein, chemicals, and other abnormalities. Urinalysis detects blood, protein, and casts that suggest glomerular inflammation.
Acute kidney injury: A rapid decline in kidney function that develops over hours to days. Severe glomerular inflammation can abruptly reduce filtration.
Glomerular filtration barrier: A layered interface that filters plasma while retaining blood cells and most proteins. Damage to this barrier explains blood and protein leaking into urine.
Poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis: An immune-mediated glomerular disease that follows infection with certain group A streptococci. It is a classic example of glomerulonephritis arising after infection.
Complement system: A network of blood proteins that helps immune defenses recognize and eliminate microbes and damaged cells. Complement activation contributes to injury and provides useful clues about disease cause.
Red blood cell cast: A cylindrical urinary sediment formed when red blood cells become trapped in kidney tubules. Its presence strongly points to bleeding within the kidney, often from glomerulonephritis.
Chronic kidney disease: A persistent abnormality of kidney structure or function lasting at least three months. Ongoing glomerular damage can leave lasting loss of kidney function.

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