How Does Lupus Nephritis Feel Like?

Lupus is an autoimmune medical condition in which the body’s defense mechanism starts attacking their own healthy tissues and organs resulting in inflammation. The inflammation caused by lupus can affect any organ of the body. To understand Lupus Nephritis, it is important to understand what nephritis means. Nephrons are fundamental units of the kidney. The function of the nephrons is to filter out waste products from the blood. When these nephrons get inflamed then the condition is termed as nephritis.

Lupus Nephritis is a condition when lupus results in the inflammation of the nephrons in the kidneys interfering with their normal functioning as a result of which the nephrons are not able to remove waste products effectively.

If Lupus Nephritis is left untreated it may cause various potentially serious complications like damage to the kidneys which may at times be permanent. It may also cause a condition called end stage renal disease in which the affected individual may require dialysis for filtering out the waste products and ultimately a kidney transplant. This article sheds some light on how an individual will actually feel in cases of a Lupus Nephritis.

Initial stages of Lupus Nephritis are in most cases completely asymptomatic. The first symptom of a Lupus Nephritis can be observed after a couple of months of the onset of the symptoms of lupus.

Lupus Nephritis patients will notice a significant gain in overall body weight with puffiness in the hands, feet, and eyelids. The swelling tends to worsen during the day with activity.

The urine of the individual will have a red tinge to it and will be foamy. This will be followed by hematuria, hypertension, increased urinary frequency and urgency usually at nighttime. These symptoms may mimic other medical conditions like a urinary tract infection but a complete urinalysis normally identifies the inflammation and confirms the diagnosis of a Lupus Nephritis.

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Also Read:

• What is Lupus Nephritis & How is it Treated?
• What is Pediatric Lupus Nephritis: Causes, Symptoms, Types, Treatment, Diagnosis