glomeruli. Severe cases may show glomerular crescents (cases
presenting clinically with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis).Treatment:
Treatment of poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis is mainly
symptomatic (rest, salt restriction, diuretics, antihypertensives, treatment
of infection and dialysis if renal failure develops). Sometimes steroids and
immunosuppressive drugs are given for cases presenting with RPGN.
Prognosis:
Most of the cases (85%) recover completely, 5% die in early
phases from complications (hypertensive encephalopathy or heart failure).
The rest of the cases pass to chronic glomerulonephritis and develop
chronic renal failure.
Prognosis is better in children than in adults. Signs of bad
prognosis are persistently rising serum creatinine, heavy proteinuria,
persistent hypertension with gross haematuria and presence of glomerular
crescents in renal biopsy.
SECONDARY GLOMERULAR DISEASES
In many diseases renal involvement is a part of a generalized
process e.g. diabetes mellitus and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Renal involvement may be the dominant lesion or may be just an
incidental finding. Generally, when the kidney is involved, the prognosis
and type of treatment are changed drastically.