Table 1 Disease characteristics of common glomerulonephritis

Primary GN

Acute GN

Infection, immune complex deposit circulating or implanted antigens

Abnormal urine, edema, hypertension, abnormal kidney function

Symptomatic treatment

Crescentic GN

Immune mechanisms or renal and extrarenal diseases

Symptoms such as proteinuria and hematuria progress rapidly to oliguria and anuria

Corticosteroids, immunosuppressor, plasmapheresis

Membranous GN

Secondary to infections, tumors, systemic immune diseases, or some drugs

Nephrotic syndrome

Spontaneous remission occurs in up to a third of patients, symptomatic treatment, immunosuppressor

Membranoproliferative GN

Immune complex deposit or complement pathway activation

Hematuria, proteinuria, chronic renal failure or nephrotic syndrome

Symptomatic treatment, corticosteroids, immunosuppressor

Mesangial proliferative GN

Immune complex deposit

Hematuria, proteinuria or nephrotic syndrome

Symptomatic treatment, immunosuppressor

FSG and Minimal change GN

Undefined, may be podocyte injury or circulating permeability factor action

Nephrotic syndrome or proteinuria

Symptomatic treatment, immunosuppressor

IgAN

Immune complex deposit or abnormal immunomodulation

Hematuria or proteinuria

Symptomatic treatment, immunosuppressor are offered to patients with a rapidly progressive course of GN

Chronic GN

Caused by the development of acute GN or immune-mediated inflammation

Proteinuria, hematuria, hypertension, edema or chronic renal failure

Symptomatic treatment, corticosteroids, immunosuppressor

Secondary GN

DN

Oxidative Stress, hyperglycemia, inflammation and renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system

Decline in renal function, proteinuria and GFR declined

Symptomatic treatment, control blood glucose

LN

Immune complex deposit, chemokine-mediated recruitment of different leukocyte subsets and extrarenal pathogenic mechanisms

Usually asymptomatic or proteinuria

Symptomatic treatment, corticosteroids, immunosuppressor