Nephritis
Encyclopedia
Nephritis is inflammation
Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...

 of the nephrons in the kidneys. The word "nephritis" was imported from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

, which took it from Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

: νεφρίτιδα. The word comes from the Greek νεφρός - nephro- meaning "of the kidney" and -itis meaning "inflammation".

By main location of inflammation

  • Glomerulonephritis
    Glomerulonephritis
    Glomerulonephritis, also known as glomerular nephritis, abbreviated GN, is a renal disease characterized by inflammation of the glomeruli, or small blood vessels in the kidneys...

     is inflammation of the glomeruli. (When the term "nephritis" is used without qualification, this is often the condition meant.)
  • Interstitial nephritis
    Interstitial nephritis
    Interstitial nephritis is a form of nephritis affecting the interstitium of the kidneys surrounding the tubules...

     or tubulo-interstitial nephritis is inflammation of the spaces between renal tubules.

By cause

Nephritis is often caused by infections, toxins, and auto-immune diseases. It can be caused by infection, but is most commonly caused by autoimmune disorders that affect the major organs. For example, those with lupus are at a much higher risk for developing nephritis. In rare cases nephritis can be genetically inherited, though it may not present in childhood.
  • Pyelonephritis
    Pyelonephritis
    Pyelonephritis is an ascending urinary tract infection that has reached the pyelum or pelvis of the kidney. It is a form of nephritis that is also referred to as pyelitis...

     is inflammation that results from a urinary tract infection
    Urinary tract infection
    A urinary tract infection is a bacterial infection that affects any part of the urinary tract. Symptoms include frequent feeling and/or need to urinate, pain during urination, and cloudy urine. The main causal agent is Escherichia coli...

     that reaches the pyelum (pelvis) of the kidney.
  • Lupus nephritis
    Lupus nephritis
    Lupus nephritis is an inflammation of the kidney caused by systemic lupus erythematosus , a disease of the immune system. Apart from the kidneys, SLE can also damage the skin, joints, nervous system and virtually any organ or system in the body....

     is an inflammation of the kidney caused by systemic lupus erythematosus
    Systemic lupus erythematosus
    Systemic lupus erythematosus , often abbreviated to SLE or lupus, is a systemic autoimmune disease that can affect any part of the body. As occurs in other autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body's cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage...

     (SLE), a disease of the immune system
    Immune system
    An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...

    .
  • Athletic nephritis is nephritis resulting from strenuous exercise. It may result in proteinuria
    Proteinuria
    Proteinuria means the presence of anexcess of serum proteins in the urine. The protein in the urine often causes the urine to become foamy, although foamy urine may also be caused by bilirubin in the urine , retrograde ejaculation, pneumaturia due to a fistula, or drugs such as pyridium.- Causes...

    , hematuria
    Hematuria
    In medicine, hematuria, or haematuria, is the presence of red blood cells in the urine. It may be idiopathic and/or benign, or it can be a sign that there is a kidney stone or a tumor in the urinary tract , ranging from trivial to lethal...

     and cylinduria. In most persons these are transient findings that disappear within hours to days after the end of exercise. The findings generally increase by increasing severity and duration of physical stress. Hematuria after strenous exercise may also result from march hemoglobinuria, which is caused by trauma to red blood cell
    Red blood cell
    Red blood cells are the most common type of blood cell and the vertebrate organism's principal means of delivering oxygen to the body tissues via the blood flow through the circulatory system...

    s, causing hemolysis
    Hemolysis
    Hemolysis —from the Greek meaning "blood" and meaning a "loosing", "setting free" or "releasing"—is the rupturing of erythrocytes and the release of their contents into surrounding fluid...

     and resultant release of hemoglobin into the blood. However, it is possible for athletic nephritis to be a result of the hemoglobin load on the kidneys caused by march hemoglobinuria.

Complications

Nephritis is the most common producer 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
Oliguria
Oliguria is the low output of urine, It is clinically classified as an output below 300-500ml/day. The decreased output of urine may be a sign of dehydration, renal failure, hypovolemic shock, HHNS Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, urinary...

) and retention of waste products (uremia
Uremia
Uremia or uraemia is a term used to loosely describe the illness accompanying kidney failure , in particular the nitrogenous waste products associated with the failure of this organ....

). As a result, red blood cells may leak out of damaged glomeruli, causing blood to appear in the urine (hematuria
Hematuria
In medicine, hematuria, or haematuria, is the presence of red blood cells in the urine. It may be idiopathic and/or benign, or it can be a sign that there is a kidney stone or a tumor in the urinary tract , ranging from trivial to lethal...

). Low renal blood flow activates the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system
Renin-angiotensin system
The renin-angiotensin system or the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is a hormone system that regulates blood pressure and water balance....

 (RAAS), causing fluid retention and mild hypertension.

Nephritis is a serious medical condition which is the ninth highest cause of human death. As the kidneys inflame, they begin to excrete needed protein from the body into the urine stream. This condition is called proteinuria
Proteinuria
Proteinuria means the presence of anexcess of serum proteins in the urine. The protein in the urine often causes the urine to become foamy, although foamy urine may also be caused by bilirubin in the urine , retrograde ejaculation, pneumaturia due to a fistula, or drugs such as pyridium.- Causes...

. Loss of necessary protein due to nephritis can result in several life-threatening symptoms. Most dangerous in cases of nephritis is the loss of protein that keeps blood from clotting. This can result in blood clots causing sudden stroke.

Epidemiology

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