Is acute nephritis prone to "excessive internal heat"?

Written by Zhou Qi
Nephrology
Updated on April 24, 2025
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Acute nephritis indeed tends to cause "fire-up," which refers to the viral infection in patients. Typically, the appearance of herpes on the upper lip is colloquially known as "fire-up," but in reality, this is an active manifestation of the herpes virus when the body's immune capacity is low. The human body often carries this virus, and symptoms appear when immunity is low. In the state of acute nephritis, it is easy to result in reduced immunity in patients, thus activating the dormant virus in the body, causing herpes in corresponding areas including the upper lip and corners of the mouth.

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Written by Zhou Qi
Nephrology
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Can acute nephritis patients eat red dates?

In cases of acute nephritis, it is recommended that patients avoid eating red dates. During the acute phase of acute nephritis, there is severe inflammatory reaction in the glomeruli of the patient, and the extensive cellular proliferation may affect the filtration barrier of the glomeruli. If the glomeruli cannot filter blood, it leads to the accumulation of metabolic waste in the body, reduced urine output, and also affects the regulation of electrolytes and acid-base balance. Therefore, patients with acute nephritis may experience kidney failure and hyperkalemia, among other issues. Red dates contain a high amount of potassium ions, making them a high-potassium food, especially dried dates, which are even richer in potassium ions. Therefore, in cases of acute nephritis, especially if the patient has renal failure, it is advised to avoid eating red dates.

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Written by Li Liu Sheng
Nephrology
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What to do if acute nephritis worsens?

Typically, after two to three weeks of treatment, the condition of most patients with acute nephritis can recover. However, if the condition of acute nephritis worsens, patients should return to bed rest and adopt different treatment methods based on their clinical symptoms. If the patient presents with edema, it is essential to maintain a low-salt diet, with daily salt intake less than 2-3 grams. Additionally, the patient's blood pressure must be addressed. If there is a significant rise in blood pressure, it is advisable to start with a low dose of diuretics, which can facilitate urination, fluid excretion, and lower blood pressure. If blood pressure control is inadequate, calcium channel blockers should be considered. Moreover, if a patient with acute nephritis develops acute renal failure, dialysis treatment may be necessary; similarly, if acute heart failure occurs, medications to control blood pressure and dilate blood vessels should be used to reduce the cardiac workload, thereby facilitating recovery from acute nephritis. (Specific medications should be used under the guidance of a physician.)

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Written by Li Liu Sheng
Nephrology
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How long does acute nephritis require bed rest?

Acute nephritis is commonly seen in children. Once acute nephritis occurs, the main clinical manifestations in patients typically include hematuria, which can be visible or microscopic. It is also accompanied by varying degrees of edema, elevated blood pressure, and even transient renal failure. As for how long patients with acute nephritis need to stay in bed, current studies suggest a minimum of 2-3 weeks of bed rest. If the patient’s hematuria disappears, urinary protein decreases, and edema subsides, they can gradually start moving out of bed. If the condition remains stable, activities can shift from indoors to outdoors. However, if visible hematuria reoccurs, or if edema reappears after activity, it is necessary to continue bed rest for another 4-6 weeks. Therefore, students suffering from acute nephritis often need to take a leave of absence from school and should be closely monitored for changes in their condition under a doctor's guidance.

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Written by Zhou Qi
Nephrology
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Does acute nephritis cause fever?

Acute nephritis is actually a sterile inflammation, with significant proliferation of cells within the glomeruli, primarily related to immune dysfunction. Therefore, from this perspective, acute nephritis does not show symptoms of fever. However, due to the inflammatory response within the glomeruli causing acute nephritis, patients may experience renal failure. In the state of renal failure, the patient's immune capability further decreases, which could lead to complications from infections, with respiratory infections being the most common, including pneumonia, bronchitis, and acute tonsillitis. These inflammations may cause fever, but this fever is not a direct result of the acute nephritis itself.

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Written by Li Liu Sheng
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Acute nephritis etiology and pathogenesis

The primary cause of acute nephritis is related to antigen-antibody mediated immune damage. This means that when patients with acute nephritis are infected by streptococci, certain components within the streptococci can act as antigens and bind to corresponding antibodies produced in the body, forming immune complexes. These immune complexes circulate through the bloodstream and eventually deposit in the glomeruli. When the complement system is activated, inflammatory cells infiltrate, ultimately leading to the development of acute nephritis. Acute nephritis is a common group of primary glomerular diseases, characterized by a sudden onset, with hematuria, reduced urine output, proteinuria, edema, and hypertension as its most significant features. Once acute nephritis occurs, bed rest is usually required, along with active treatment. After treatment, most patients with acute nephritis can recover fully, with few recurrences.