This is a common disease and in the days before the diabetes epidemic, the usual reason why patients came to kidney failure.
The process of treatment of glomerulonephritis begins with:
- Diagnosis – this often requires a kidney biopsy
- Measurement of renal function and the degree of proteinuria
- Determination of whether there is a systemic disease which is causing glomerulonephritis
Management
- Management is often directed towards the consequences of glomerulonephritis, rather than the disease itself.
- Maintenance of a good urine through-put, tight control of blood pressure, lipid and sugar management, and avoidance of nephrotoxins.
- The commonest nephrotoxins are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication.
- Specific forms of glomerulonephritis require specific treatments.
- The need for these treatments, such as immunosuppression, is determined by the diagnosis, and the degree of activity of the disease as seen on the kidney biopsy.