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Nephritis is inflammation of the kidney. The word comes from the Greek nephro- meaning "of the kidney" and -itis meaning "inflammation". The two most common causes of nephritis are infection or an auto-immune process.
Symptoms
Nephritis has the effect of damaging and closing up the microscopic filters in the kidney. This means that in addition to various toxic waste products, the inflamed kidney filters out important proteins (larger molecules) from the blood. Therefore the characteristic symptom of nephritis is proteinuria — meaning the excessive removal of protein from the blood and its excretion in urine.
Prognosis
Loss of blood protein(s) can result in a number of problems including swelling, excessive water retention, and the danger of blood clots (as a result of the removal of anti-coagulation proteins).
It is a serious, incurable condition, but it goes into spontaneous remission in about half of all cases.
Nephritis is the 9th leading cause of death in the United States.
Treatment
It is treated with immunosuppressant drugs and corticosteroids. These drugs appear to increase the chances of speedy remission, but there is much medical debate about their effectiveness in this situation.
Subtypes
- glomerulonephritis is inflammation is of the glomeruli. (Often when the term "nephritis" is used without qualification, this is the condition meant.)
- interstitial nephritis or tubulo-interstitial nephritis is inflammation is of the spaces between renal tubules.
- pyelonephritis is when a urinary tract infection has reached the pyelum (pelvis) of the kidney.
- Lupus nephritis is an inflammation of the kidney caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a disease of the immune system.
See also
"Nephritis"