Chronic glomerulonephritis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Kidney anatomy

Chronic glomerulonephritis

Alternative Names:

Glomerulonephritis - chronic; Chronic nephritis
Symptoms:

Blood in the urine (dark, rust-colored, or brown urine)
Foamy urine

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Chronic kidney failure symptoms that gradually develop may include the following:

Unintentional weight loss
Nausea and vomiting
General ill feeling (malaise)
Fatigue
Headache
Frequent hiccups
Generalized itching
Decreased urine output
Need to urinate at night
Easy bruising or bleeding
Decreased alertness
Muscle twitching
Muscle cramps
Seizures
Increased skin pigmentation -- skin may appear yellow or brown
Decreased sensation in the hands, feet, or other areas

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

Excessive urination
Nosebleed
High blood pressure
Blood in the vomit or stools

Signs and tests:

There may be high blood pressure and a urinalysis may be abnormal. Laboratory tests may reveal anemia or indicate reduced kidney functioning, including azotemia (accumulation of nitrogenous wastes such as creatinine and urea). Later, signs of chronic kidney failure may be apparent, including edema (swelling), polyneuropathy, and signs of fluid overload including abnormal heart and lung sounds.

A urinalysis may show blood, casts, protein, or some other abnormality.
Kidney or abdominal ultrasound, kidney or abdominal CT scan, or IVP may show small kidneys.
A chest x-ray may show fluid overload.
A kidney biopsy may show one of the forms of chronic glomerulonephritis orscarring of the glomeruli.

This disease may also alter the results of the following tests: