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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffTreatment of glomerulonephritis and your outcome depend on:
- Whether you have an acute or chronic form of the disease
- The underlying cause
- The type and severity of your signs and symptoms
Some cases of acute glomerulonephritis, especially those that follow a strep infection, often improve on their own and require no specific treatment.
To control your high blood pressure and slow the decline in kidney function, your doctor may prescribe one of several medications, including:
- Diuretics
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
- Angiotensin II receptor agonists
Your doctor also may prescribe other drugs to treat the underlying cause of glomerulonephritis:
- Strep or other bacterial infection. Your doctor likely will prescribe an appropriate antibiotic.
- Lupus or vasculitis. Doctors often prescribe corticosteroids and immune-suppressing drugs.
- IgA nephropathy. Fish oil supplements have been successful in some people with IgA nephropathy and are under study.
- Goodpasture's syndrome. Plasmapheresis is sometimes used to treat people with Goodpasture's syndrome. Plasmapheresis is a mechanical process that removes antibodies from your blood by taking the plasma out of your blood and replacing it with fluid or donated plasma.
Therapies for associated kidney failure
For acute glomerulonephritis and acute kidney failure, temporary dialysis can help remove excess fluid and control high blood pressure. The only long-term therapies for end-stage kidney failure are kidney dialysis and kidney transplantation. When a transplant isn't possible, often because of poor general health, dialysis becomes the only option.
- Your kidneys and how they work. National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/yourkidneys/index.htm#rate. Accessed Jan. 29, 2009.
- Glomerulonephritis. National Kidney Foundation. http://www.kidney.org/atoz/atozItem.cfm?id=65. Accessed Jan. 29, 2009.
- Glomerular diseases. National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/glomerular/. Accessed Jan. 29, 2009.
- Introduction: Glomerular diseases. The Merck Manuals Online Library: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec17/ch235/ch235a.html#S17_CH2. Accessed Feb. 3, 2009.
- Rose BD, et al. Differential diagnosis of glomerular disease. http://www.uptodate.com/online/content/topic.do?topicKey=glom_dis/11. Accessed Feb. 3, 2009.
- Nachman PH, et al. Primary Glomular Disease. In: Brenner BM, et al. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/125541428-3/815444355/1583/33.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3105-5..50032-3--cesec59_1945 Accessed March 12, 2009.
