Glomerulonephritis
Inflammation of the tiny filters of the kidney (the glomeruli), which damages their ability to filter blood cleanly. It causes blood and protein to leak into the urine and can reduce kidney function; it ranges from mild and self-limiting to serious, and often needs specialist care.
What it is
Glomerulonephritis is inflammation of the glomeruli — the millions of tiny filtering tufts in the kidneys that clean the blood and start the process of making urine. When they become inflamed, two things typically happen: they leak red blood cells and protein into the urine, and their ability to filter can fall, allowing waste products like creatinine to build up in the blood. It is really a family of conditions rather than one disease. It can be triggered by an immune reaction after an infection (classically a throat or skin infection), by autoimmune diseases such as lupus or certain forms of vasculitis, by conditions affecting the immune deposits in the kidney (such as IgA nephropathy), and by a range of other specific glomerular diseases. It can appear acutely — with blood in the urine that may look cola-coloured, swelling, high blood pressure and reduced urine output — or run a slower, more silent course discovered on routine tests. The blood and urine tests point toward it (blood and protein in the urine, a rising creatinine, and sometimes low complement levels or positive autoimmune markers), but pinning down the exact type usually needs a kidney biopsy. Some forms settle on their own, while others need immune-suppressing treatment; untreated, the more aggressive types can progress to chronic kidney disease or kidney failure.
Key lab markers
- Urine protein — raised, from mild to heavy.
- Blood in the urine (haematuria) — often present, sometimes visibly discolouring the urine.
- Creatinine and eGFR — creatinine may rise and eGFR fall if filtering is impaired.
- Complement (C3, C4) — can be low in certain types, helping narrow the cause.
- Autoimmune markers — such as ANA, anti-dsDNA or ANCA, depending on the suspected cause.
- Kidney biopsy — usually needed to identify the exact type.
Symptoms
- Blood in the urine, sometimes cola- or tea-coloured
- Frothy urine from protein
- Swelling of the face, legs or ankles
- High blood pressure
- Passing less urine than usual
- Tiredness
- Sometimes few or no symptoms, found on routine tests
Related lab panels
When to discuss with a doctor
Glomerulonephritis needs medical assessment because some forms are aggressive and can damage the kidneys quickly if untreated, while others are mild. It should be suspected when there is blood and protein in the urine together, especially with swelling, high blood pressure or a rising creatinine — and visibly discoloured (cola-coloured) urine, particularly after a recent infection, warrants prompt review. Because the many underlying causes are treated very differently, and because pinning down the exact type usually needs specialist tests and often a kidney biopsy, this is a condition managed by a kidney specialist. Mediora.AI can surface the telltale combination of blood and protein in the urine, a rising creatinine and low complement that points toward glomerulonephritis, but diagnosing the specific type and directing treatment belongs with a doctor.