Glomerulonephritis (GN)

Glomerulonephritis (GN) is the name given to various conditions that develop when the kidney’s glomeruli become inflamed. This inflammation limits their ability to filter and remove excess fluids from the blood and pass them into the urine. Kidney failure can occur if the glomeruli are damaged by this inflammation. GN type is distinguished by onset speed; acute (severe and sudden in onset) or chronic (long-developing). GN can occur independently (as primary GN) or as a feature of another disease (as secondary GN).

Pink, brown, or foamy urine, hypertension, and swelling in the face, hands, feet, or abdomen. 

In the case of secondary GN, coexisting conditions include autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS), systemic lupus erythematosus, diabetes, or polyarteritis nodosa.

GN can sometimes be traced to hereditary causes, but otherwise, the cause remains unknown. Risk factors include infections (such as post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, bacterial endocarditis, and viral infections), coexisting autoimmune disease (such as lupus, Goodpasture’s syndrome, or IgA nephropathy), vasculitis, polyarteritis, high blood pressure, diabetic kidney disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, and certain cancers (like multiple myeloma, lung cancer, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia).

• The Role of Inflammasomes in Glomerulonephritis (2022)
• Glomerulonephritis: immunopathogenesis and immunotherapy (2023)
• Glomerulonephritis and inflammatory bowel disease: A tale of gut-kidney axis dysfunction (2023)
• Microbiota and glomerulonephritis: An immunological point of view (2022)
• The Human Virome and Its Crosslink with Glomerulonephritis and IgA Nephropathy (2023)
• Association between COVID-19 vaccination and relapse of glomerulonephritis (2023)

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