Nephritis is the term used to describe a group of conditions that causes swelling of the glomerulus. The kidney contains millions of glomeruli which are the filtering units that remove the waste products from the blood to form urine. Normally, the blood cells and proteins cannot pass through the walls as they are larger in size. From here, the urine passes through the tubules where the minerals are removed for recycling before it flows to the ureters. As the result, when the glomerulus become inflamed it can affect the normal function of the kidney to remove the waste effectively from the blood. Nephritis can either be acute or chronic. The acute form can develop suddenly as the result of an infection and the chronic form develops over several years causing kidney failure. There are various different types of nephritis which can range from a mild condition to a serious problem causing kidney failure. Some of them include; glomerulonephritis, autoimmune nephritis, lupus nephritis, interstitial nephritis and nephrotic syndrome.
Glomerulonephritis
The acute form of glomerulonephritis can develop because of an infection such as strep throat or from other conditions like Wegnener’s disease. The chronic form of the condition can occur when the disease is prevalent in the family. Also, some of the conditions that can cause scarring of the glomeruli include high blood pressure, diabetic kidney disease and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. The acute form of glomerulonephritis can cause swelling of the face, brown urine or urinating less quantity than normal. The acute form can actually clear on its own although in some case, treatment may be necessary. The initial symptoms of the chronic form include high blood pressure, blood in the urine, frequent nighttime urination, swelling of the face and the limbs.
Nephrotic syndrome
This disorder causes the excess excretion of protein in the urine because of damage to the glomeruli. It can cause swelling of the feet and ankles, foamy urine and weight gain from excess fluid retention. There are several diseases and conditions that can cause glomerular damage and include focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, membranous nephropathy, amyloidosis, diabetic kidney disease, a blood clot in a kidney vein and heart failure. The treatment for nephrotic syndrome is based on treating the underlying condition, to control the symptoms and to treat the complication of the syndrome.
Interstitial nephritis
This develops because of the inflammation of the spaces between the kidney tubules that can affect the normal function of the kidneys. This condition can either be acute or chronic. The acute form commonly is the result of side effects of certain medications. It can also develop because of an autoimmune disorder, infections, long-term use of medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, low quantity of potassium in the blood and elevated level of calcium or uric acid in the blood. The symptoms of this condition can either be mild or severe causing acute kidney failure. The common symptoms include blood in the urine, swelling of the body, weight gain, fever, mental status changes, increased or decreased urine output and a rash. The treatment is based on the cause of the underlying problem and to provide relief from the symptoms.
References
https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/glomerul
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nephrotic-syndrome/basics/treatment/con-20033385
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000464.htm
http://kidney.org.au/cms_uploads/docs/nephritis-fact-sheet.pdf
