Nephritis
Nephritis is
the
inflammation
of the kidneys. It is a serious condition and may be
either acute or
chronic.
This disease often strikes during childhood or
adolescence. It can
become
progressively worse and result in death, if not
treated properly in the
initial stages. In the alternative, it may subside
into a chronic stage
where the patient gets better but not too well.
Symptoms
The main
symptoms of
acute
nephritis are a pain in the kidneys extending down
to the uterus, fever,
dull pain in the back and scanty and highly colored
urine. Often the
urine
may contain blood, albumin and casts consisting of
clumps of red and
white
cells, which come from damaged kidneys. The patient
suffers from
puffiness
in the face and swelling of the feet and ankles.
In the
chronic
stage of nephritis,
which may drag on for many years, the patient passes
large amounts of
albumin
in the urine. Later there may be a rise in blood
pressure and the patient
may develop uremia. There may be frequent urination,
especially during
the night.
Causes
Nephritis
usually
follows
some streptococcus infection of the throat or an
attack of scarlet
fever
or rheumatic fever. The underlying causes of
nephritis are the same as
for diseases of the kidneys namely wrong dietary
habits, excessive
drinking,
the suppressive medical treatment of former
diseases, the habitual use
of chemical agents of all kinds for the treatment of
indigestion and
other
stomach disorders and frequent use of aspirin and
other painkillers.
Nutritional
deficiencies
can
also lead to nephritis. The disease has been
produced in many
species
of animals by diets deficient in the B vitamin,
chlorine. Animals
lacking
essential fatty acids and magnesium also develop
nephritis. When
vitamin
B6 and magnesium are under-supplied, the kidneys are
further damaged by
sharp crystals of oxalic acid combined with calcium.
Nephritis also
occurs
if vitamin E is deficient.
Treatment
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