Glomerular Disease Dubai
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- Diabetic Kidney Disease
- Hypertensive Nephropathy
- Kidney Biopsy
- Hemodialysis
- Management of Lupus Nephritis
- Management of Acute Kidney Injury
- Conservative Management of Chronic Kidney Diseases
- Urinary Tract Infection
- Glomerular Disease
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- Nephrotic and Nephritic syndromes
- Pre & Post Renal Transplant Patients
Glomerular Disease
Glomerular diseases affect the filtering units of your kidney, the glomeruli. Symptoms include foamy urine, pink urine, high blood pressure and swelling in your face, hands, ankles or feet. Many diseases can cause glomerular disease. The leading cause is diabetes-related nephropathy. Treatments depend on the cause. The goal is to prevent or slow kidney damage.
How does glomerular disease interfere with kidney function?
Glomerular disease damages the glomeruli, affecting their ability to properly function. Instead of keeping protein and red blood cells circulating in the blood, damaged glomeruli leak some of these products into your urine. One of the jobs of proteins in the blood, such as albumin, is to move extra fluid from the body to the bloodstream so it can be filtered by the kidneys and removed from the body as urine. Not having enough protein in your bloodstream keeps extra fluid in your body, causing swelling in areas including your face, hands, feet, abdomen and ankles.
Damaged glomeruli also can’t filter out waste products and these products begin to build up in your blood.
Causes
Causes of glomerular disease include:
- Infection or a medication or chemical that is harmful to your kidney.
- Diseases that affect the entire body, including the kidneys.
- Diseases that cause swelling or scarring of the nephron or glomerulus.
- An unknown cause.
Symptoms
Signs of glomerular disease include one or more of the following:
- Foamy urine (a sign of protein in your urine [proteinuria]).
- Pink or light brown urine (a sign of blood in your urine [hematuria]).
- Swelling in your face/around eye (especially in the morning), hands, feet or ankles (especially at the end of the day). This swelling is called edema.
- High blood pressure (hypertension).
Diagnosis
After a thorough physical and medical history, your healthcare provider will order several tests, including:
- Urine test (urinalysis), to check for high protein level, presence of red blood cells, and white blood cell level (would indicate infection or inflammation).
- Blood tests, to check for low protein level, creatinine (kidney function) and urea nitrogen levels (waste product). A calculation is made, called the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), to determine if your kidneys are filtering properly.
- Additional blood tests for potential causes such as infections or autoimmune diseases.
- Imaging tests, including ultrasound, to see if the shape or size of the kidneys is abnormal.
- Kidney biopsy, involves using a needle to remove small pieces of tissue to view under a microscope.
Treatment
Autoimmune diseases
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (also simply known as lupus): This autoimmune disease affects many parts of the body. In the kidney, it causes lupus nephritis, which is inflammation of the glomeruli. The inflammation causes scarring that keeps the kidney from functioning properly. Anti-inflammatory treatment includes immunosuppressant medications such as mycophenolate mofetil or cyclophosphamide combined with the corticosteroid prednisolone.
- Goodpasture’s syndrome: This autoimmune disease attacks the kidneys and lungs. In the kidney, it causes glomerulonephritis, which is inflammation of the glomeruli and can lead to permanent kidney damage. Treatments include immunosuppressive drugs and plasmapheresis (a process to remove antibodies that are attacking your own body).
- IGA nephropathy: With this autoimmune disease, a specific part of your immune system called the antibody immunoglobulin A (IgA) forms deposits in the glomeruli. These deposits cause inflammation. Treatments include angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers.
Hereditary nephritis
- Alport Syndrome: This is an inherited condition that causes chronic glomerular disease along with hearing or vision impairment. It affects both men and women. Men experience more chronic kidney disease, which can be diagnosed in their twenties; with total kidney failure often occurring by age 40. Treatments include medications to regulate blood pressure.
Prevention
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Keep your salt intake low; don’t add extra salt to foods.
- Keep your blood pressure well managed. Target is 120/80 mmHg.
- Manage your blood sugar if you have diabetes. Take all your prescribed medications and follow all management goals discussed with your healthcare provider.
- Stop smoking.
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