Now, if you aren’t familiar with what your kidneys do, here’s a brief description from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center:
“…filter the blood to remove waste and extra fluid; they help with regulating blood pressure…”
Now, there are a few different types of MPGN: Type 1, Type 2 (aka Dense Deposit Disease), and Type 3.
Most cases are cause by other conditions or disorders, including autoimmune ones, chronic infections and hereditary diseases just to mention a few. Also, in the same regard, there can be MPGN with no known cause, which is referred to as being idiopathic. Unfortunately, it is the most seen kind and is more common in people ages 8 to 30 years.
This condition stops the kidneys from filtering waste properly from the blood and body. The kidneys have glomeruli, which are the filters. Because this condition shows damage to those filters is progressive, about half of the people with it experience kidney failure after living with this for years! Unfortunately, that also means that dialysis or a transplant must be started as soon as possible.
So, how can one be tested for this? By giving urine and blood samples. Normally, blood is not in your urine. If it is, it can indicate a few different things but they do tests for it. Also, they test for proteins in your urine. While you may not see the blood or protein specifically, the labs doctors use can see it with microscopes and with some test strips that remind me of pregnancy tests. Also, when they look at your blood samples, they might see that they are misshaped or deformed.
As for treatment, it varies on if it’s associated with another condition or if it’s idiopathic.
If it’s as a result of another condition, it can be successfully treated after treating to original infection or condition. However, if it’s idiopathic, it will depend on the type of proteinuria (protein in your urine). Non-nephrotic cases are not usually given immunosuppressive therapy and is considered not life threatening. On the flip side, if it is considered a nephritic case, then steroids similar to and possibly including prednisone, are used.
Facts:
- Up to 50-60% of untreated patients will progress to end-stage kidney failure within 10-15 years
- 25-40% of untreated will continue to have normal renal functions
- Less than 10% of patients have spontaneous remission or improvement
- Patients with nephrotic syndrome, kidney insufficiency, hypertensions or crescents seen by microscope on a kidney biopsy have a worse prognosis
Sources:
www.kidney.org
www.wakehealth.edu
www.unckidneycenter.org