How to check for nephritis? 6 methods to help you diagnose

The incidence of nephritis is constantly increasing, and treatment methods are emerging in an endless stream. However, which one to choose depends on the condition of the disease. There are currently six methods for examining and diagnosing this disease: imaging examination, renal biopsy, nephritis patients should undergo routine urine examination, renal function test, X-ray angiography, and urine culture.

1. Imaging examination

Imaging examination uses B-ultrasound to show enlargement of both kidneys, indicating acute lesions; some patients have concurrent hepatomegaly, splenomegaly or pericarditis.

2. Renal biopsy

It can help understand the pathological type, lesion activity and determine the appropriate kidney disease treatment plan. For systemic nephritis with renal damage as the first manifestation, renal biopsy can help to confirm the diagnosis.

3. Patients with nephritis should undergo routine urine examination

Urinalysis is a preliminary examination that cannot be ignored in clinical practice. Proteinuria or formed elements in urine sediment can be seen in the early stages of many nephritis lesions. Once abnormal urine is discovered, it is often the first indication of kidney or urinary tract disease and often provides important clues to the nature of the pathological process.

4. Kidney function tests

There is usually decreased renal tubular function (decreased urine concentrating function, decreased phenol red excretion rate, etc.), increased urinary sodium and potassium excretion, and metabolic acidosis; blood potassium may increase when urine is oliguric. In the late stage, glomerular dysfunction, increased blood urea nitrogen and creatinine occur, leading to uremia.

5. X-ray angiography

The renal pelvis and calyces can be seen to be deformed, with irregular or even shrunk shadows.

6. Urine culture

The positive rate is low, and sometimes repeated tests are required to obtain a positive result. Protoplasmic strains can be found in about 20% of patients with negative urine bacterial culture. This is a mutation ability of pathogenic bacteria in order to adapt to adverse environments and survive under the action of antibacterial drugs, antibodies, etc. Although the cell membrane is ruptured, the protoplasm is still there and can reproduce again once the environment is favorable.

To diagnose nephritis, the doctor will first diagnose the patient based on his or her symptoms, and then ask the patient to undergo a series of routine examinations before the disease can be confirmed. Otherwise, blindly treating the patient based on his or her superficial symptoms will not only fail to completely cure the disease, but will also delay the best time for treatment and aggravate the progression of the disease.