Chronic Glomerulonephritis

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Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors

Chronic glomerulonephritis is caused when there is slow progressive destruction of the glomeruli of the kidney, with progressive loss of kidney function. Some cases are caused by specific stimuli to the body's immune system, but the precise cause of most is unknown. An as yet undefined abnormality of the immune system is believed to be responsible for most cases. It is a cause of hypertension and chronic renal failure.

Damage to the glomeruli with subsequent inefficient filtering causes blood and protein to be lost in the urine. Because symptoms develop gradually, the disorder may be discovered when there is an abnormal urinalysis during routine physical or examination for unrelated disorders. It may be discovered as a cause of hypertension that is difficult to control.

Glomerulonephritis is among the leading causes of chronic renal failure and end stage renal disease. With kidney biopsy, it may be possible to reach a precise diagnosis such as membranous glomerulonephritis, IgA nephropathy (Berger's disease), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, mesangial proliferative disorder, diabetic nephropathy/sclerosis, lupus nephritis, or nephritis associated with disorders such as amyloidosis, multiple myeloma, or immune disorders including AIDS. It may develop after survival of the acute phase of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. In about one-fourth of people with chronic glomerulonephritis there is no prior history of kidney disease, and the disorder first appears as chronic renal failure.