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Glomerulonephritis

Glomeruli are tiny filters present in the kidney. Damage to these filters results in glomerulonephritis. It is generally caused when the immune system cells mistakenly attack the glomeruli. It may be acute or chronic. If left untreated, it may lead to kidney failure or chronic kidney disease.

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  • Minimal Change Disease: Patients with minimal change disease have damaged kidney filters (glomeruli). The symptoms of minimal change disease include protein in the urine, weight gain, edema in the ankles, and high levels of lipids, or fats. The causes of minimal change in disease are infections, tumors, allergic reactions, drugs (NSAIDs, cephalosporin, and ampicillin), and other glomerular diseases.
  • Membranous Nephropathy: This is an autoimmune disease that affects the filtering unit of the kidneys. Glomeruli comprise three layers, i.e., endothelial cells, podocytes, and the glomerular basement membrane. The condition affects the glomerular basement membrane. Two types of membranous nephropathy include idiopathic and secondary membranous nephropathy. The causes of secondary membranous nephropathy include NSAIDs, cancer, infections, the hepatitis B virus, and systemic lupus erythematosus.
  • IgA Nephropathy: It is also known as Berger’s disease. The condition develops when there is an accumulation of IgA antibodies in the kidney. It causes renal inflammation, which progresses to cause kidney damage. The symptoms of IgA nephropathy are blood in the urine, foamy urine, high blood pressure, swelling, and pain in the lower back below the ribs.
  • Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis: It is a rare condition involving scar tissue formation in the glomeruli. The types of FSGS are primary FSGS, secondary FSGS, genetic FSGS, and unknown FSGS. The causes of this condition include sickle cell disease, diabetes, obesity, and other kidney diseases.
  • Multiple Myeloma: Almost 20-40% of patients with multiple myeloma have a certain degree of kidney failure. Several parts of the kidney are affected due to multiple myeloma. These include tubules, glomeruli, and the interstitium. The condition is caused due to the presence of abnormal proteins in the plasma of multiple myeloma patients. When these abnormal proteins reach the tubules, they combine with another protein (Tamm Horsfall protein) and form a large structure that cannot pass through the tubules, resulting in tubular blockage.
  • Lupus Nephropathy: Lupus nephropathy is a complication in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The symptoms of lupus nephropathy include high blood pressure, blood in the urine, foamy urine, and edema.