The Harms Caused by Chronic Nephritis

Chronic nephritis can occur to any age and it is more common among young and middle-aged men. It has various modeofonsets and clinical manifestations. In most cases, the onset is unconspicuous and slow. The typical symptoms are hematuria, proteinuria, hypertension and edema with varying degrees’ renal dysfunction and will gradually develop into chronic renal failure.

Generally speaking, the disease should be considered in case of abnormalities in urine test (blood urine, protein urine or cylindruria), edema and illness history of hypertension no matter there is renal impairment or not. Renal biopsy can help confirm its diagnosis and provide guidance for treatment and prognosis.

Chronic nephritis is hard to cure and it is easy to relapse and in the long run will cause great harms to the body.

1. Thrombus and metabolic disorders. Chronic nephritis patients are easy to have thrombus and the incidence of thrombus in membraneous nephropathy can be up to 25% to 40%. Improper treatment can cause electrolyte and metabolic disorders. Repeated use of diuretic or long term unreasonable limitation of salt will cause hyponatremia. The take of adrenal cortical hormone and large amount of diuretic will cause hypokalaemia.

2. Infections. The loss of large amount of immune globulin will reduce the plasma protein and affect the formation of antibody. The application of adrenal cortical hormone and cytotoxic medicines will lower the patients’ immunity and make them more susceptible to infections such as skin infection, primary peritonitis, respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infection or even sepsis.

3. Complications. Chronic nephritis will cause many complications one of which is coronary heart disease. Patients are often in the states of hyperlipemia and high blood condensation, so they are easy to develop coronary heart disease. It has been reported that the incidence of myocardial infarction among chronic nephritis patients is 8 times higher than healthy people. Coronary heart disease has become the third cause of death of chronic nephritis following infections and renal failure.

4. Renal failure. Because of massive proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia and hyperlipidemia, the internal environment is in states of low blood volume and high blood condensation. Vomiting, diarrhea, use of anti-hypertension medicines and diuretics will cause sudden fall of blood flow in the kidneys and decrease of glomerular filtration rate and induce acute renal failure. Other factors such as renal interstitial edema, the obstruction of renal tubules by concentrated protein can all induce acute renal failure and uremia.