Intestinal Problem In IgA Nephropathy

As a matter of fact, IgA Nephropathy causes no severe intestinal problems until it develops to advanced stage. IgA Nephropathy is a glomerular disease which affects glomeruli from functioning well and cause a series of symptoms. Hematuria is the dominant symptom in early stage and when IgA Nephropathy progresses to advanced stage, intestinal problem will occur.

Intestinal problem is annoying as it not only impairs patients’ appetite, but also brings a group of discomforts which will go as follows:

1. Nausea and vomiting in the morning

In IgA Nephropathy, nausea and vomiting always appear as a result of high blood urea nitrogen level and they are the most common intestinal problems in kidney disease. Urea nitrogen is produced when protein is metabolized in our body. It is normally discharged through our kidneys, so urea nitrogen level in blood helps to reflect kidney condition to some extent. High blood urea nitrogen is the major cause of nausea and vomiting in IgA Nephropathy, but it is not the only one.

2. Vomiting blood

It is terrible for one to vomit blood, but in some cases of IgA Nephropathy, patients indeed experience this intestinal problem due to gastric mucosal ulceration, peptic ulcer and some other factors. Usually, the more severe the IgA Nephropathy, the more likely that patients experience this horrible symptom.

3. Poor taste in mouth

Some IgA Nephropathy patients may found they have a bad taste in their moth and someone describes it as metallic taste or ammonia-like taste. This not only makes patients upset, but also affect their appetite by making the food taste different. Some patients may have no appetite even if facing their favorite foods. Actually, IgA Nephropathy patients experience this symptom also due to elevated urea nitrogen level in blood.

IgA Nephropathy causes no severe discomforts in early stage, so when patients find they are suffering from these intestinal problems, they must be alert about kidney failure. At that time, aside from controlling these symptoms, they also need to clear IgA immune complexes in kidney, block inflammation, repair kidney damages and improve kidney function. Only with a comprehensive treatment, can IgA Nephropathy be brought under control effectively.