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Highlights & Basics
- Glomerulonephritis (GN) is often part of a multisystem disorder.
- Edema and hypertension are signs of severe or chronic disease.
- A kidney biopsy is the test for definitive diagnosis, although it is not required in all patients.
- Treating the underlying disorder and managing hypertension and proteinuria is the mainstay of therapy.
- Some patients may eventually need dialysis or transplant.
Quick Reference
History & Exam
Key Factors
Other Factors
Diagnostics Tests
Treatment Options
Definition
Epidemiology
Etiology
Pathophysiology
Images
Palpable purpura on the lower extremities of a child with IgA vasculitis (Henoch-Schonlein purpura)
Minimal change nephropathy: the glomerulus has a normal appearance
Mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis showing (left) thickened capillary loops with diffuse cellular proliferation, giving characteristic "lobular" appearance (light microscopy; stains: hematoxylin and eosin) and (right) coarse patchy granular immunofluorescent staining of IgM along capillary loops
Membranous nephropathy showing fine granular immunofluorescent staining of IgG along basement membrane
Membranous nephropathy shows slightly prominent capillary walls that appear more rigid than normal; however, deposits cannot be directly visualized (light microscopy; periodic acid Schiff stain)
Membranous nephropathy with thickened capillary walls with the appearance of numerous pinpoint "holes" in tangential sections, indicating deposits that did not stain (light microscopy; Jones silver stain)
Diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis as seen in poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis
Crescentic glomerulonephritis with cellular crescent occupying large portion Bowman's capsule and compressing glomerular tuft
Light microscopy of kidney biopsy showing typical lesions of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (arrows)
Citations
Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Glomerular Diseases Work Group. KDIGO 2021 Clinical practice guideline for the management of glomerular diseases. Kidney Int. 2021 Oct;100(4s):S1-276.[Abstract][Full Text]
Sethi S, De Vriese AS, Fervenza FC. Acute glomerulonephritis. Lancet. 2022 Apr 23;399(10335):1646-63.[Abstract]
Walters GD, Willis NS, Cooper TE, et al. Interventions for renal vasculitis in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Jan 13;(1):CD003232.[Abstract][Full Text]
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