What can u tell me about IGA Nephropathy?

Question

Kidney disease

Answer 1

IgA nephropathy (IgAN, also known as Berger's disease) is a kidney disease, which affects the glomerulus. Glomeruli are the tiny blood filters where urine is made. IgA nephropathy is the commonest "glomerulonephritis" (inflammation of the glomerulus) found in the developed countries of the world. IgA is short for immunoglobulin A, an antibody which usually helps the body to fight infections and toxins (poisons) encountered in the gut and the lungs. In IgA nephropathy, IgA is deposited in the glomerulus and sometimes goes on to cause problems. Although much research is trying to fnd out why, it is still not understood why IgA is deposited in the kidneys and why it only sometimes goes on to cause problems. In about one third of cases IgAN goes on to cause progressive damage to the kidneys and some of these patients may need dialysis and/or transplantation in the end IgAN tends to be very slowly progressive and so the process of the kidneys failing can take 10 to 30 years. At the time of diagnosis, it is often possible to tell whether there is a high chance of your kidneys becoming damaged with time or whether your outlook is good. A large number of treatments have been tried all over the world, but it is still not clear whether drugs and other treatments are helpful. In general this usually means that no treatment is particularly useful. Among the treatments which have been tried are - Fish oil, Steroids and other treatments to suppress the immune system, Diet, Antibiotics, Tonsillectomy. High blood pressure – hypertension - is the commonest and most important consequence of IgAN. In a small minority of patients the kidneys fail completely (end-stage renal failure) and they need dialysis treatment to keep them well. If this happens all patients will be considered for kidney transplantation and most go onto the waiting list. In general, patients with IgAN do well with transplantation, but there is some evidence that after time IgA may be deposited in the transplant kidney causing IgAN to recur. Even if it does, it usually takes ten to twenty years before the kidney fails completely.
I add a link which discusses this subject.

http://www.kidney.org/atoz
/atozItem.cfm?id=76


Hope this helps
Matador 89

Answer 2

IgA nephropathy is a kidney disease caused by protein immunoglobulin A ( or IgA) inside the filtering (glomerulus) part of the kidney. This part of the kidney normally filters wastes and excess water from the blood and send them to the bladder as urine. The biuld up of IgA protein prevents this filtering process, leading to blood and protein in the urine and swelling in the hands and feet. This is a chronic kidney disease that usually progresses over a period of 10 to 20 years or so. This disorder can also lead to end-stage renal disease, and the patient must go on dialysis or receive a kidney transplant.

The IgA protein, an antibody, is a normal part of the body's immune system, the system that protects against disease.

As far as treatment, steroids may suppress the production of IgA but can have harmful side effects. Fish oil supplements containing omega 3 fatty acids also appear to slow the progression of the disease.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

IgA nephropathy is deposition of IgA immune complexes in glomeruli, manifesting as slowly progressive hematuria, proteinuria, and, often, renal insufficiency. Diagnosis is based on urinalysis and renal biopsy. Prognosis is generally good. Treatment options include ACE inhibitors, corticosteroids, and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Please see the web pages for more details on IgA nephropathy.