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Healthy Diet Plans >>  Health Issues and Diet >>  Nephritis

Nephritis Causes


The term nephritis is used to describe an inflammation, affecting one or both the kidneys. Many health experts refer to this affliction as kidney nephritis, interstitial nephritis and tubulointerstitial nephritis. There are a couple of factors that could cause a person to suffer from inflammation of this kind, the most common one being an autoimmune disorder, affecting the major organs of the body. Infections too, could cause a person to suffer from interstitial nephritis. In the initial stages, many people do not really realize that they are suffering from kidney inflammation, mainly due to the fact that there are no specific interstitial nephritis symptoms as such.
In fact most people mistake the common kidney nephritis symptoms for other conditions and only realize what the exact problem is after going through a few tests, for which the results are not normal.

Kidney Nephritis Symptoms


People suffering from this inflammation do not really experience any pain. Urine too is passed in normal quantities, in spite of the fact that little waste is being removed from the body. In fact, people suffering from nephritis tend to pass more urine during the night. At times, the quantity of urine can rise to a high quantity, causing the patient to feel thirsty all the time. However, as the condition progresses people may experience a few nephritis symptoms like high blood pressure, headaches, swelling of the hands or feet, fatigue, itchiness and vomiting. Some of the symptoms, such as nephritis headache and hypertension may be more severe than the others, causing people to seek medical attention.

At times, when people are infected with interstitial nephritis their bowels could also be affected by the inflammation, along with the kidneys. In such cases, people experience not only severe pain in the stomach, but also vomiting. Severe instances of nephritis could cause a person to vomit blood. In some rare instances a blotchy red rash may also appear on the skin.

Types of Nephritis


Nephritis syndrome can be described as a collection of various signs and symptoms that are associated with those disorders that affect the kidney, especially glomerular disorders. There are different types of nephritis that people can suffer from. These the common types of nephritis of the kidneys can affect people include:
  • Acute nephritis
  • Chronic nephritis
  • Glomerulonephritis
  • Primary glomerulonephritis
  • Autoimmune nephritis
  • Lupus nephritis
  • Pyelonephritis
  • Interstitial nephritis
The factors that lead to the different types of nephritis may vary. In most cases, people suffer from acute nephritis or chronic nephritis. If not checked and treated as soon as possible, it is possible for the symptoms to worsen over a period of time. Some of the most common causes of nephritis include allergic reactions, long term use of certain medication, analgesic neuropathy and reactions to certain antibiotics. 

In most normal and healthy people, the immune system plays the important role of identifying the normal parts of the body, distinguishing them from the invaders and then attacking the invaders, so that they body can get rid of them. However, in some cases, the immune system may not function properly and could attack a part of the body, like it is an invader. Many of the organs can be affected by such autoimmune disorders, the kidneys being one of them. In fact, there are quite a few kidney diseases that can be caused because of immune system disorders and nephritis of the kidneys is one of them.

As soon as this condition becomes evident in people, it is important for people to consult a doctor without any delay. It may be necessary to undergo tests like a blood test, urine tests or x rays for an accurate diagnosis. Many people may not have any symptoms of the condition at all and only realize that they are suffering from nephritis after undergoing a routine physical exam.

Nephritis Treatment


There are certain steps that people can follow for nephritis prevention, some of which include avoiding people with a strep throat, following a proper diet, drinking at least 12 glasses of water a day, exercising every day and getting an adequate amount of rest. Nevertheless it is possible to suffer from nephritis, in spite of following these measures.

In most people looking for a nephritis cure, the condition can be treated. However, there are several factors which determine a patient’s response to the interstitial nephritis treatment, such as age, the severity of the condition as well as the extent of damage caused to the kidney. If a person does respond positively to the kidney inflammation treatment, the symptoms of the condition disappear completely. However, it is also possible for people to recover only partially, in case the kidneys are damaged severely. Though rare, when people suffer from nephritis caused by HIV or in case of lupus nephritis, the risks of renal failure are much higher and therefore dialysis may be required.

Nephritis diet treatment is also very important for people who are trying to recover from this condition. People undergoing this kidney diet treatment are generally asked to cut down on foods that are high in sodium, potassium, protein, fat and phosphorus. The diet should also be high in vitamins. For the first one week, the patient may be asked to consume nothing but vegetable juice, which cleanses the bladder and gets rid of the toxins in the body. Thereafter, for another week, the patient should follow a milk and fruit diet. Then, for the next few weeks, the patient will need to follow a vegetarian diet, until the nephritis is completely wiped away.

Nephritis Causes


There are several interstitial nephritis causes, which could trigger off the kidney inflammation in people. Given below are some of the most common interstitial nephritis causes:
  • Heredity factors: This condition has been known to run in the members of the family.
  • Bacteria: The most common causes of the inflammation in children as well as adults is the streptococcus bacteria
  • Other underlying conditions: There are several other medical problems, which could cause a person to suffer from nephritis, some of which include urethral stricture, immune complex diseases, gout, Hermann’s syndrome, yellow fever, renal tuberculosis, typhoid fever, hepatitis, mumps, measles, pneumonia and abscesses.
  • Medication: People who are taking certain medication for a long period of time may also be more prone to nephritis, as compared to the others
Submitted on January 16, 2014