Glomerulonephritis Flashcards
Which parts of the renal parenchyma can be affected in renal disease?
Tubules
Interstitium
Glomeruli
What are some glomerular disease?
Diabetic nephropathy
Glomerulonephritis
Amyloid/light chain nephropathy
Transplant glomerulopathy
How can glomerulonephritis be divided? Which is more common?
Chronic (common)
Acute
What is glomerulonephritis?
Immune mediated disease affecting the glomeruli +/- secondary tubulointerstitial damage
What are the three mediators of glomerulonephritis?
Antibodies (humeral) & immune complexes
Cells (T cells)
Inflammatory cells/mediators/complement
How can antibody induced glomerulonephritis be further subdivided?
Intrinsic
Planted (circulating antigen that has become stuck in glomerulus)
Glomerular capillaries are fenestrated. T/F
True
How is proteinuria and haematuria caused in glomerulonephritis?
Disruption of the basement membrane
Which features must solutes have in order to cross the glomerular membrane?
Small
Positively charged
Describe proliferative and non-proliferative GN and the differences in it’s clinical presentation
Proliferative - endothelial and/or mesangeal cell damage allowing red cells to pass into the urine
Non-proliferative - podocyte damage allowing protein to pass into the urine
What does urine microscopy look for?
Red blood cells, granular casts and lipids
How can urine protein be measured?
Protein creatinine ratio
24 hr urinary collection
In which two ways can haematuria present?
Asymptomatic microscopic
Painless macroscopic
What do dysmorphic red blood cells indicate?
They originated from the kidney (because they passed through glomerular membrane)
How might renal disease present?
Haematuria
Proteinuria
Hypertension
Impaired renal function (AKD/CKD)
How does nephritic syndrome present? What does it indicate?
AKI Oedema Oliguria Hypertension Sediment (RBC, granular casts)
Proliferative process (endothelial)
How does nephrotic syndrome present? What does it indicate?
Proteinuria >3g Hypoalbuminuria Odema Hypercholesterolaemia Normal renal function
Non-proliferative process (epithelial)
What are the complications of nephrotic syndrome? Explain each one
Infection risk (loss of Ig proteins)
Renal vein thrombosis (shift in liver production of pro-thombotic factors)
Pulmonary emboli
Volume depletion (too much diuretic) –> AKI
Vitamin D deficiency
Subclinical hypothyroidism
In which two methods might glomerulonephritis be classified?
Aetiology based
Histologically
What are the causes of glomerulonephritis?
Idiopathic Infection Drugs Malignancies Systemic disease (e.g ANCA associated)
By which methods can glomerulonephritis be histologically classified?
Biopsy
Microscopy
Immunofluroscence
Electron microscopy
What are the histological classifications of GN?
Proliferative/non-proliferative (mesangial/inflamm cells)
Focal/diffuse (>50% affected)
Global/segmental (all or part of glomeruli)
Crescentic (extracapillary proliferation of cells in bowman;s space)
When would you find crescentic injury?
Vasculitic GN (rapidly progressing)
What are the two methods of glomerulonephritis treatment?
Immunosuppressive and non immunosuppressive
What are the non-immunosuppressive means of GN treatment?
Hypertension control
- ACE/ARB
- Diuretic (oedema)
- Statin (hyperlipidaemia)
What is the target blood pressure in someone with GN?
When might anticoagulants be used in GN?
Albumin
What are the immunosuppressive means of GN treatment?
Corticosteroids (prednisolone or IV methoprednisolone)
Azathioprine
Alkylating agents (cyclophosphamide)
Calcineurin inhibitors (cyclosporin, tacrolimus)
Mycophenolate mofetil
Plasmapharesis
Antibodies