Pathophysiology of Glomerulonephritis in Children

Pathophysiology of glomerulonephritis among children incorporates basic, translational, and clinical research to advance understandings of disease and dysfunction. The study of pathophysiology involves a number of medical research activities. In order to understand the behavior of individual cells and their neighboring microenvironments, vast amount of data should be collected and analyzed. The research of the disease is based on microbial mechanism, pathogenesis, epidemiology, immune responses, and drug efficiency. Doctors should focus their attention on differences in etiology, clinical manifestation, epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment according to patient's age. This paper aims at integrating health promotion and risk factors explaining the main causes, symptoms, and treatment of the disease.
Signs and Symptoms of Glomerulonephritis
In USA, glomerulonephritis is the third most common cause of end-stage renal disease. Acute glomerulonephritis is defined as the inflammation of the glomeruli with gross or microscopic hematuria, proteinuria, and decreased renal function. Glomerulonephritis may occur as a primary renal disease or as a manifestation of a systemic disease process. In order to prevent a disease at an early stage, an initial diagnosis is important. Children with glomerulonephritis may have fluid overload and hypertension, which require emergency management. Acute glomerulonephritis (AGN) can be treated successfully in the primary stage. The presence of common symptoms of the disease should be immediately managed.
Acute glomerulonephritis actually affects children (especially boys) between the age of 3 and 7 years within four weeks after streptococcal infection of the respiratory tract. Other causes include impetigo, scarlet fever, or lipoid nephrosis. These disorders are the types of allergic or immune disease caused by an antigen-antibody reaction. Usually, children have the acute form of glomerulonephritis. The signs and symptoms of this disease may include:
Red blood cells color urine in red
The excess of protein to urine makes it foamy
The increase of blood pressure (hypertension)
Changes in skin of a face, hands, and feet (dry and/or itchy skin)
Puffiness of the face
Kidney failure
Urinating less often
Extra fluid in a child’s lungs that is accompanied with coughing
Fatigue
Lack of appetite
As a result, kidneys stop working properly because they cannot filter blood normally. This condition leads to glomerulonephritis. The disease can start as a response to different infections such as quinsy, amyloidosis, abscessed tooth, Goodpasture syndrome, Wegener’s granulomatosis, and others. Some physicians consider that glomerulonephritis is a result of kidney failure while other think that it happens due to disorders in the immune system.
According to Schrier, nephrogenic stains of beta-hemolytic streptococci group A are most often involved. Poststreptococcal acute glomerulonephritis (PSGN) follows bacterial infection within 14-21 days. Most cases of PSGN occur among patients aged between 4 and 15 years with a peak incidence among those aged 4-5. Titers become present 2-3 weeks after infection, unless the antibody response was blunted by the use of antibiotics.
Diagnosing and Treatment of Glomerulonephritis in Children
When parents notice several or all of the symptoms and signs of glomerulonephritis in their children, they should consult the therapist who directed a child for the urinalysis. The most important markers of this test are protein and blood in the urine. After that, more urine testing should be conducted to determine kidneys' health. A patient should take testing for total protein in urine, its concentration, osmolality, specific gravity, and blood pressure.
Like any other disease, glomerulonephritis should be treated at the early stage because it is a serious disease, and it may cause some complications. For example, the disease can damage kidneys by losing a considerable amount of protein in a child’s urine. The body may retain a lot of salt and fluid. Chen assuming that this nephrotic syndrome should be treated with corticosteroids. The syndrome should be controlled in order to prevent severe kidney damage. Otherwise, a child may receive high blood pressure and a high level of the cholesterol. Parents who do not treat their children put in risk the kidneys that may require further transplantation.
Children should be treated in the primary health care settings. Such treatment includes the restoration of normal kidneys' functioning, diuretics, fluids to flush tubules, and the following long-term issues:
Daily replacement of fluid losses
Administration of antibiotics
Transfusions of packed red blood cells
Emergency intravenous administration of 50 percent glucose, regular insulin, and sodium bicarbonate
Peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis
Sodium polystyrene sulfonate with sorbitol
Davison assumes that acute glomerulonephritis is treated with loop diuretics such as furocemide that reduces extracellular fluid overload. The vasodilators decrease hypertension. Antibiotics administered for seven to ten days for treating infections may contribute to the ongoing antigen-antibody response. According to the research, the treatment of a child may be more successful than that of an adult. Prognosis is generally good as long as the condition become chronic. Streptococcal and other bacterial infections should be treated properly so they do not influence the development of glomerulonephritis. The chronic form of the disease may occur because of repeated attacks of the acute form of it.
Although, pathophysiology of glomerulonephritis in children has been studied since 1950s, it is not fully understood. However, most researchers consider that the disease is a result of the immune system disorder. Glomerulonephritis can be reproduced in two forms: acute and chronic. The study of glomerulonephritis in children requires further research and various medical activities. It should be based on microbial mechanism, pathogenesis, epidemiology, immune responses, and drug efficiency.
The essay was written by the professional writer from https://papers-land.com/ - Betty Bilton

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