Glomerulonephritis (Nephritis)
Glomerulonephritis, or nephritis, is the name given to a number of different conditions affecting the glomeruli which cause a decrease in kidney function, with fluid retention, a rise in the concentration of urea in the blood (because it’s not being excreted) and blood in the urine (because the glomeruli and nephrons are inflamed and leak blood). Classically it occurs in children or young adults some two-to-three weeks after a throat or upper respiratory tract infection by a germ called streptococcus, and in this case the prognosis is good, with recovery being the rule. In other cases however, where there is autoimmune attack on the kidney cells, there may be progression to renal failure.
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