Rapidly progressive (crescentic) glomerulonephritis
Alternative names:
crescentic glomerulonephritis; glomerulonephritis - crescentic; necrotizing glomerulonephritis
Treatment:
The treatment varies with the suspected cause. The treatment goals may be a cure of the causative disorder, the control of symptoms, or the treatment of renal failure.
The causative disorders should be treated as appropriate.
Corticosteroids may relieve symptoms in some cases. Other medications may include immunosuppressive agents including cyclophosphamide and azathioprine, anticoagulant (prevent the blood from clotting) or thrombolytic (clot-dissolving) medications, and others depending on the cause of the disorder.
Plasmapheresis may relieve the symptoms in some cases. The blood plasma (the fluid portion of blood) containing antibodies is removed and replaced with intravenous fluids or donated plasma (without antibodies). The removal of antibodies may reduce inflammation in the kidney tissues.
Observation for a progression to renal failure, and the treatment of renal failure if it is present, should be ongoing. Dialysis or a kidney transplant may ultimately be necessary.
Expectations (prognosis):
Without treatment, crescentic glomerulonephritis may progress to renal failure and end-stage renal disease in 6 months or less, although a few cases may resolve spontaneously.
When treated, The probable outcome is better, with as many as 75% of the cases showing improvement of the symptoms. The disorder may recur. If the disease occurs in childhood, it is likely that renal failure will eventually develop.
Complications:
Calling your health care provider:
Call your health care provider if symptoms indicate rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis may be present.
If you have this disorder, call if new symptoms develop, especially irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing, increased edema, or decreased urine production.
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