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Glomerulonephritis
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The kidney cleans the blood, and the part that does that delicate work is the glomerulus, a tiny filter; each kidney has many thousands of these filters. Glomerulonephritis is a kidney disease in which that very part, the one that helps filter waste and fluid out of the blood, ends up damaged.
A healthy glomerulus works like a very fine strainer: it lets water and waste through and holds back what the body needs to keep. When it is damaged, it is as if the holes in the strainer had opened up, and then what should not get through escapes into the urine: blood and protein. As for why, the honest answer is that it varies: glomerulonephritis can come from problems with the immune system, the body's own defenses, though often the exact cause is not known.
In brief
Glomerulonephritis is a type of kidney disease in which the part that helps filter waste and fluid out of the blood is damaged.
That filtering unit is called a glomerulus, each kidney has many thousands of them, and when they are damaged blood and protein leak into the urine.
It is a very fine strainer: if its holes open up, it lets through what it used to hold back.
It can stem from problems with the immune system, and often the exact cause is not known.
Sources (2)
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of MedicineGlomerulonephritis
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesGlomerular Disease
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated