Nephritis
| Nephritis | |
| Classification and external resources | |
| MeSH | D009393 |
|---|---|
Nephritis is inflammation of the kidney. The word comes from the Greek nephro- meaning "of the kidney" and -itis meaning "inflammation". Nephritis is often caused by infections, toxins, and auto-immune diseases.
Subtypes
- glomerulonephritis is inflammation of the glomeruli. (Often when the term "nephritis" is used without qualification, this is the condition meant.)
- interstitial nephritis or tubulo-interstitial nephritis is inflammation of the spaces between renal tubules.
- pyelonephritis is when a urinary tract infection has reached the pyelum (pelvis) of the kidney.
- Lupus nephritis is an inflammation of the kidney caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a disease of the immune system.
Nephritis is the most common cause of glomerular injury. It is a disturbance of the glomerular structure with inflammatory cell proliferation. This can lead to: reduced glomerular blood flow leading to reduced urine output (oliguria) & retention of waste products (uremia). As a result, there can also be leakage of red blood cells from damaged glomerulus (hematuria). Low renal blood flow activates the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which therefore causes fluid retention and mild hypertension.
See also
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