Rapidly progressive (crescentic) glomerulonephritis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Kidney anatomy

Kidney - blood and urine flow

Rapidly progressive (crescentic) glomerulonephritis

Alternative Names:

Necrotizing glomerulonephritis; Glomerulonephritis - crescentic; Crescentic glomerulonephritis
Symptoms:

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Common symptoms include the following:

Edema (swelling)
- face
- eyes
- ankles, feet, extremities
- abdomen
- generalized
Dark or smoke-colored urine
Blood in the urine
Decreased urine volume

Symptoms that may also appear include the following:

Fever
Myalgia (muscle aches)
Arthralgia (joint aches)
Shortness of breath
Cough
Malaise (a general ill feeling)
Abdominal pain
Loss of appetite
Diarrhea

Signs and tests:

An examination reveals edema (swelling). Circulatory overload, with associated abnormal heart and lung sounds, may be present. The blood pressure may be elevated. Rapid,worsening loss of kidney function may be present.

Urinalysis may be abnormal, showing blood in the urine, urine protein, white blood cells, casts, or other abnormalities.
The BUN and creatinine may rise rapidly.
The creatinine clearance decreases.
Anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody tests may be positive in some cases.
Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) may be present.
Complement levels may be decreased in some cases.
Other tests for suspected causes may be performed.
A kidney biopsy confirms crescentic glomerulonephritis.