Why doesn't IgA nephropathy cause swelling?

Written by Zhou Qi
Nephrology
Updated on September 02, 2024
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IgA nephropathy refers to the abnormal deposition of IgA immunoglobulin in the glomeruli of patients, which causes an inflammatory response and damages the glomerular capillaries. The extent of this damage varies, so not all patients will experience swelling. If the condition is severe, causing significant proteinuria, patients may develop hypoproteinemia and consequent decrease in plasma colloidal osmotic pressure, leading to swelling. If renal failure has occurred, the kidneys' ability to excrete water decreases, which can also cause swelling. Some patients may experience swelling due to damage to the renal tubules, which increases the reabsorption capacity for water. Otherwise, patients may not show obvious swelling, such as those with only mild proteinuria and hematuria, whose clinical symptoms are not pronounced.

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Written by Zhou Qi
Nephrology
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Can IgA nephropathy be cured?

IgA nephropathy cannot be completely cured. IgA nephropathy is a type of chronic glomerulonephritis and is a chronic disease. Currently, it is incurable in medical practice. However, many patients have only mild symptoms, such as mild hematuria, proteinuria, and minor kidney damage, and timely long-term management of the disease usually does not lead to severe consequences. Some patients, on the other hand, have relatively severe conditions and require treatment with steroid medications. Most of these patients can achieve relatively good treatment outcomes and ultimately avoid severe kidney failure. However, a very small number of patients may eventually experience significant proteinuria and even severe renal failure.

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Written by Zhou Qi
Nephrology
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Causes of hematuria in IgA nephropathy

IGA nephropathy is a type of chronic glomerulonephritis. This disease often causes patients to have blood in their urine, and can also lead to visible blood in the urine. The glomerulus is a cluster of capillaries with semi-permeable functions, allowing water and metabolic waste to pass through while preventing proteins and red blood cells from passing. The waste and water pass through the glomerular filtration barrier and enter into the urine, which is the main component of urine. If some pathological cause damages the capillaries of the glomerulus, such as in the case of IGA nephropathy where there is an inflammatory response within the glomerulus, it can damage the glomerular filtration barrier. As a result, red blood cells may pass through the capillary walls of the glomerulus into the urine, causing blood in the urine.

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Written by Hu Lin
Nephrology
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IgA kidney disease symptoms

The clinical manifestations of IgA nephropathy are diverse. The most common clinical manifestations include episodic gross hematuria, asymptomatic hematuria, and proteinuria. Episodic gross hematuria often occurs several hours after an upper respiratory tract infection, or a day or two later. Patients may notice that their urine is dark tea-colored, brown, or fresh red, light red, and this type of gross hematuria tends to recur. The second type is asymptomatic microscopic hematuria, with or without proteinuria, also known as asymptomatic urinalysis. This is often discovered during physical examinations when patients show no symptoms and tests reveal hidden blood and protein positivity in the urine. The third major category is proteinuria, which in some patients may present as nephrotic syndrome-like proteinuria. The fourth is hypertension; the fifth, acute kidney injury; and the sixth, chronic kidney failure. Most patients with IgA nephropathy gradually progress to chronic kidney failure within 10 to 20 years of diagnosis.

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Written by Zhou Qi
Nephrology
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IgA nephropathy manifestations

IgA nephropathy is a pathological type of chronic glomerulonephritis. The clinical manifestations of this disease are diverse, with the typical clinical presentation of IgA nephropathy being hematuria, especially visible hematuria following a cold. However, patients may also exhibit other features, such as significant amounts of urinary protein. In some cases, this can reach the level of 3.5g in a 24-hour urine protein quantification. Patients may experience edema, such as swelling in the lower limbs, eyelids, etc. There could also be clinical presentations of high blood pressure, rapid progression of renal failure, and other symptoms.

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Written by Zhou Qi
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The characteristics of proteinuria in IgA nephropathy

IgA nephropathy is a pathological type of chronic glomerulonephritis, which can cause patients to exhibit symptoms such as proteinuria and hematuria. Regarding the characteristics of proteinuria, it is generally primarily glomerular proteinuria. In the classification of patients' proteinuria, glomerular proteinuria accounts for a large proportion. If IgA nephropathy presents as chronic nephritis or nephrotic syndrome, the patient's level of proteinuria will be quite severe, with significant amounts of proteinuria, where the 24-hour urinary protein quantification may exceed 1g or even reach more than 3.5g. However, not all patients with IgA nephropathy have such high levels of proteinuria; some may only have mild proteinuria.