In the diagnosis of glomerulonephritis, an important role is played by the correct and timely diagnosis. Which should include both general clinical examination methods and additional ones. It is they who will make it possible to carry out a differential diagnosis between an acute and chronic process, and will determine the form of glomerulonephritis (nephritic, nephrotic), which is very important in the further tactics of treating the patient. Primary and secondary prevention of glomerulonephritis (poststreptococcal and other types) includes a set of measures aimed at maintaining he alth.
Reasons
In most cases, the cause of glomerulonephritis is a serious infection that causes disturbances in the functioning of the kidneys. These infections include:
- angina;
- chickenpox;
- sepsis;
- scarlet fever;
- hepatitis B;
- infectious monoculosis.
And some other infectious diseases. In addition, systemic disorders are also among the factors that cause glomerunitis:
- hereditary pulmonary-renal syndrome;
- lupus;
- vasculitis.
In some cases, kidney problems can be caused by the introduction of vaccines and sera, usually of poor quality, or in the presence of severe allergic reactions to drugs.
One of the factors is the poisoning of the body with toxic substances, including alcohol, nicotine, mercury. Organic solvents, lead and other compounds. Glomerulonephritis also often develops with radiation exposure.
It should be noted that the disease begins to manifest on average after 1-4 weeks from the moment the negative factors listed above affect the body. Early diagnosis of the disease helps to avoid its development and further complications.
Symptoms
Symptoms of glomerulonephritis begin to actively manifest themselves some time after the infection that provoked it. It should be noted that in children the development of glomerulonephritis occurs against the background of more pronounced, acute symptoms, while in adults it proceeds in a mild latent form. With the acute development of this disease, the symptoms have the following characteristic indicators:
- Increased body temperature, chills, impairedappetite, general deterioration of well-being;
- Localization of pain in the lumbar region, headaches;
- Violation of urination (moreover, in the initial stage, the amount of urine is reduced, and as the disease develops, the volume of urination increases), the presence of blood impurities (hematuria) can be detected in the urine itself;
- Severe morning puffiness, which gradually disappears during the day;
- High blood pressure (hypertension).
Depending on the form in which glomerulonephritis proceeds, specific symptoms are most pronounced. For example, in the nephrotic variant, urinary symptoms prevail, in the hypertensive variant, on the contrary, the urinary symptoms are mild, and hypertensive signs predominate, in the latent variant, all symptoms are very mild.
Diagnosis
General examination methods:
- CBC
- clinical urinalysis (required!);
- urinalysis for daily proteinuria (determination of daily protein in urine);
- urinalysis according to Nechiporenko;
- urinalysis according to Zimnitsky (assessment of the concentration function of the kidneys);
- blood biochemistry (cholesterol, total protein and its fractions, urea, creatinine, electrolytes - K, Na, Cl);
- smear from the pharynx for microflora (isolation of group A streptococcus - in case of suspected nephritic form of glomerulonephritis).
Monitoring:
- BP control;
- control of daily urine;
- additional diagnostic methods;
- immunological blood test (titer - antistreptolysin O, CEC);
- assessment of kidney function (glomerular filtration rate according to Schwartz);
- Ultrasound of the kidneys with an assessment of renal blood flow ECHO-ECG.
Specialist advice:
- ophthalmologist (examination of the fundus);
- otolaryngologist (rehabilitation of chronic foci of infection);
- kidney biopsy (in case of chronic steroid-resistant glomerulonephritis, to assess the morphological state of the kidneys).
Treatment
There are several ways to treat the disease "acute glomerulonephritis" with medication, they all depend on where the disease originally came from. If it began to develop due to the fact that a strep coccal infection was introduced, then the specialist prescribes treatment with a drug such as Penicillin. It is one of the only drugs that does not harm the kidneys.
The drug is used intramuscularly, with an interval of once every four hours, the required volume is 500,000 units. The course of treatment in this way should be at least ten and not more than fourteen days. If for some reason you do not want to take Penicillin, you can inject Oxacillin instead, the dosage is exactly the same.
In some cases, pathogenetic therapy is carried out, it is done on the basis of the use of anti-inflammatory and suppressing the negative activity of various drugs. Suchmeans belong to the group of cytostatics and glucocorticoids. The latter are used if a person has kidney or heart failure, as well as arterial hypertension.
Prednisolone is one of these medicines. The daily dose of such a drug is no more than two milligrams. If this drug does not give positive results, then the doctor prescribes cytostatics, they can also be prescribed if the first drug causes negative reactions.
The most common drug is "Cyclosporine", its daily dose depends on the person's weight and is calculated as follows: not less than 2.5 and not more than 3.5 milligrams per kilogram of weight. Treatment with this drug should take place under full supervision, which is carried out by donating blood for tests.
To improve blood circulation in the kidneys and stop the development of thrombosis, doctors prescribe antigreat and anticoagulant drugs. These include the following:
- "Heparin";
- "Dipyridamole" and others.
The first is prescribed at the rate of no more than 30 IU per day, and the second from 400 to 600 milligrams per day. The course of treatment with these drugs should not exceed two and a half months.
Other remedies
In addition, the following medications can be used to treat acute glomerulonephritis:
- Drugs that lower a person's blood pressure, an example is Enalapril. Its daily dose is 10 to 20 milligrams. Maybebe appointed and "Ramipril". Its daily norm is no more than 10 milligrams and no less than two and a half.
- Drugs that remove excess fluid from the human body. These include Aldactone, its daily intake should not exceed 300 milligrams. You can also use "Furosemide", its daily rate is from forty to eighty milligrams.
- The following drugs that help get rid of heart failure are "Hypotipzid" and "Uregit". Their daily allowance ranges from fifty to one hundred milligrams.
Principles of treatment and prevention of glomerulonephritis (acute and chronic forms) are closely interrelated. All events are held in the complex.
Folk treatment
Treatment of glomerulonephritis by alternative therapy is possible only in the initial stages, when the signs of the disease are well manifested. It is best to resort to this type of treatment only after prior consultation with a specialist. Here is a recipe for an effective folk medicine, this will require:
- three tablespoons of dried birch leaves;
- four tablespoons of flaxseeds;
- three tablespoons of dried harrow root.
Pour boiling water over the resulting mixture and leave to infuse. You need to drink the resulting drink three times a day, drinking less than half a glass, but not more than one week. After it, swelling subsides and heart pain disappears, and the medicine is also a good remedy,pressure reducing.
Diet
It is recommended to stick to a diet that excludes the following foods from the diet:
- apricots;
- sweet apples;
- cottage cheese;
- potatoes.
It is useful to eat pumpkin, daily throughout the day, in small portions. In general, such a disease entails a hospital stay and the need to eat a certain diet.
With the help of folk methods, you can only relieve severe pain caused by the disease, and is also suitable as a preventive method. The main thing is to identify the disease at its initial stages, otherwise in the future it will give a complication and begin to negatively affect the entire body.
Primary prevention
Primary prevention of chronic glomerulonephritis is aimed primarily at the overall strengthening of the body's immune system and the prevention of factors and diseases that can lead to the development of kidney disease. Primary preventive measures include:
1. Timely diagnosis and treatment of infections in various organs that can provoke disorders in the kidneys.
2. Regular monitoring and monitoring of the stage of glomerulonephritis (testing, visiting the attending physician).
3. Since one of the most important factors in the fight against infectious diseases is a person's own immunity, the primary prevention of glomerulonephritis in children should naturally be aimed at itsstrengthening, namely:
- outdoor walks, exercise;
- balanced diet rich in vitamins and trace elements;
- hardening as much as possible (using a contrast shower, dousing with a gradual decrease in temperature, walking barefoot, regular walks in winter).
4. Drug therapy aimed at preventing relapse (prescribed and monitored by the attending physician).
Secondary prevention
To prevent the chronic form of glomerulonephritis, it is necessary to adhere to certain preventive measures that will help prevent the symptoms of the disease from worsening.
In contrast to the primary preventive measures for glomerulonephritis, which are primarily aimed at preventing infection of the body, increasing immunity, and a medical solution to the pathologies that have arisen. Secondary prevention is the optimization of lifestyle, the normalization of life.
What does this type of prevention include?
Secondary activities include the following:
- Optimization of physical and psycho-emotional stress, including restrictions on sports, avoidance of stressful situations.
- Restrictions related to working conditions, which include compliance with sanitary standards in the workplace (it is not recommended to work in a damp room, lift weights, it is forbidden to use pesticides and other harmful substances). In addition, night shifts andlong business trips should be limited.
- An important element of prevention is diet - with glomerulonephritis, it is based on reducing the consumption of protein foods, which can be an extra burden on the kidneys.
- Regular medical examination at the attending physician.
Prevention of acute glomerulonephritis
The main rule for the prevention of this disease is to try to avoid various infections. Some recommendations:
- If you find signs of even the most harmless infections, you should immediately make an appointment with a doctor to get treatment recommendations from him.
- Any infectious disease is characterized by high fever, deterioration, chills and intoxication of the body.
- It is strictly forbidden to choose drugs for treatment on your own, they can only be prescribed by a qualified specialist.
- If you start treatment on time, the treatment process will go pretty quickly and there will be no side effects.
- Try to limit yourself from any hypothermia, and for those patients who have had allergic reactions of any genesis, any vaccinations are strictly prohibited.
- In order to prevent recurrence, you need to go to see a nephrologist every year. A lethal outcome is almost impossible with such a disease, but there is still a chance, it is better not to risk it.
- People who have had such a disease should avoid working in wet andcold rooms.
- If the patient had seizures, then he must adhere to a certain diet. Avoid s alty, fatty or overly spicy foods.
Prevention of chronic glomerulonephritis
When the disease has become chronic, there are a number of measures that can prevent a new outbreak of the disease. For the prevention of glomerulonephritis, the following rules exist:
- special day regimen with proper rest and balanced diet with s alt and fluid restriction, sodium-free diet;
- to be afraid of overstrain both physical and nervous; excessive exercise that can provoke illness should also be avoided;
- do not get hypothermia;
- not be in a damp room or near harmful chemicals;
- be registered with the dispensary for at least 3 years.
Measures for the prevention of chronic glomerulonephritis are to eliminate all factors that can cause the disease.
The role of the immune system
In this case, it is necessary to pay attention primarily to the immune system in order to strengthen the defenses. The body must be able to cope with a viral infection and other pathologies. For this you need:
- treat infectious diseases in time, and complete the course of therapy, otherwise the pathologies will affect the functioning of the kidneys;
- follow the doctor's recommendations when taking medications that have been prescribed in connection with any disease;
- submit several times a year for researchurine and blood;
- pay attention to the right diet, excluding fried, smoked and too s alty foods from the regular menu, but eat more fruits and vegetables;
- take daily walks, exercise;
- hardening.
Also, the patient has the right to have special working conditions without night shifts and hypothermia.
