Acute Nephritis - Symptoms and Treatment

Acute nephritis is a kidney disorder caused by inflammation of the tubules and the spaces between the tubules and the glomeruli. Acute nephritis is most commonly caused by hypersensitivity ( allergy ) to drug therapy. The most frequent drugs involved include analgesics (e.g., acetaminophen and aspirin), cyclosporine and tacrolimus (immunosuppressants used in transplantation and treatment of some autoimmune disorders ), anti-cancer drugs (e.g., cisplatin; nitrosoureas ; rarely, carboplatin), and lithium (for depressive disease ). Patients with acute nephritis had taken NSAID for on average 1.7 months. The diagnosis is suggested when renal failure develops in association with systemic illness. It occurs mostly in children, but is predominant in males. Most patients can recover completely but a few cases may progress to chronic nephritis. This disease pertains to the category of "feng shui"(wind edema) in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Cases of acute nephritis are not uncommon in indigenous communities in northern Australia; the last major outbreak of the disease in north Queensland was in 1993 when 100 children were hospitalized and two died. Acute nephritis is caused when skin sores become infected with streptococcal bacteria. Acute nephritis is present at onset in 20% to 25% of patients, characterized by rapid deterioration of renal function, proteinuria in the nephrotic range and hematuria. Acute nephritis often is complicated by oliguric renal failure, which is reversible with timely treatment using corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar).

Causes of Acute Nephritis

The common Causes of Acute Nephritis :

• Certain Medications.
• Autoimmune Nephritis.
• Lupus Nephritis.
• Gout.
• Certain Metabolic Disorders.
• Nephropathy.

Symptoms of Acute Nephritis

Some common Symptoms of Acute Nephritis :

• Fever.
• Headaches.
• Blood in the urine.
• Nausea , vomiting.
• Weight gain.
• Joint pain.
• loss of appetite.
• Edema.
• Drowsiness.

Treatment of Acute Nephritis

• Bed Rest.
• Antiboitics.