Home > Encyclopedia of Medicine > Idiopathic Primary Renal Hematuric/Proteinuric Syndrome

Definition

This syndrome includes a group of disorders characterized by blood and protein in the urine and by damage to the kidney glomeruli (filtering structures) that may lead to kidney failure.

Description

This syndrome, also known as Berger's disease or IgA nephropathy, arises when internal kidney structures called glomeruli become inflamed and injured. It can occur at any age, but the great majority of patients are 16–35 when diagnosed. Males seem to be affected more often than females, and whites are more often affected than blacks. Blood in the urine (hematuria), either indicated by a visible change in the color of the urine or detected by laboratory testing, is a hallmark of this syndrome, and it may occur continuously or sporadically. The pattern of occurrence is not indicative of the severity of kidney damage.

Causes and symptoms

The glomeruli are the kidney structures that filter the...