Glomerulonephritis: Causes, Symptoms, and What You Need to Know

When your glomerulonephritis, a type of kidney inflammation that damages the tiny filters in your kidneys called glomeruli. It's also known as nephritis, it doesn't always cause obvious symptoms at first—but left unchecked, it can lead to serious kidney damage or even failure. This isn't just a one-size-fits-all problem. Some people get it after a strep infection, others because their immune system mistakenly attacks their own kidneys, and some develop it alongside other autoimmune diseases like lupus.

What makes glomerulonephritis tricky is how it hides. You might feel fine, but your urine starts foaming because of too much proteinuria, the presence of excess protein in urine, a key sign of damaged kidney filters. Or your ankles swell up, your blood pressure climbs, and you get tired for no reason. These aren't random issues—they're signals from your kidneys that something's wrong. The condition can show up suddenly (acute) or creep in slowly (chronic), and knowing the difference matters for treatment. It’s not just about pills; managing it often means watching your salt intake, controlling blood pressure, and sometimes using immunosuppressants to calm down your immune system’s attack on your kidneys.

Glomerulonephritis doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s closely tied to autoimmune kidney damage, when the body’s defense system turns against its own kidney tissue, and it often overlaps with conditions like IgA nephropathy or vasculitis. Even though it’s not as commonly discussed as diabetes or high blood pressure, it’s one of the leading causes of kidney failure in younger adults. And while some cases improve with time and care, others need long-term monitoring—or worse, dialysis or a transplant. The good news? Catching it early gives you a real shot at stopping the damage before it’s too late.

Below, you’ll find real-world guides on how glomerulonephritis connects to other health issues—like how certain drugs affect kidney function, what lab results mean, and how to spot warning signs before they become emergencies. These aren’t just medical summaries. They’re practical tools for people trying to understand what’s happening in their body—and what to do next.