Glomeruli are the filters of our kidneys.\u00a0 We should have about a million in each kidney.\u00a0 They are tiny \u2013 you can fit 10 side by side on the head of a pin.\u00a0 A tube (tubule) leading out of each is actually a processing device from which 99% of the filtered fluid is reprocessed back into the blood, leaving waste products, excess salt and so on to flow out into urine.<\/p>\n
So glomeruli filter over 150 litres of blood each day into the tubules, but only 1-2 litres of this remains at the end of all the nephrons to make urine.<\/p>\n
Three types of problem:<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0 They leak protein or blood:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n 2.\u00a0 High blood pressure:<\/span><\/strong> 3.\u00a0 Loss of filtering power:<\/span> <\/strong> The table shows some of the more common causes of glomerulonephritis (GN).\u00a0 There are some rare kinds too though.<\/p>\n\n
\nHigh blood pressure<\/a> occurs in most kinds of glomerulonephritis, and can lead to further kidney damage.<\/p>\n
\nIf you lose a few glomeruli, the others can compensate.\u00a0 But if you lose a lot you lose filtering capacity, so your kidneys don\u2019t work properly, and waste products build up in the blood.\u00a0 Filtering capacity is called Glomerular Filtration Rate, GFR.\u00a0 You can lose 75% of filtering capacity before you start to feel unwell from it. A sudden severe reduction in GFR is acute kidney injury (AKI or ARF)<\/a>. Long-term reduced GFR is known as CKD (chronic kidney damage)<\/a>.<\/p>\nWhat can damage glomeruli?<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n
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What are the common kinds of glomerulonephritis?<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n