Poststreptococcal Acute Glomerulonephritis: Fact and Controversy

doi:10.1059/0003-4819-91-1-76

Poststreptococcal Acute Glomerulonephritis: Fact and Controversy

Los Angeles, California

Abstract

Poststreptococcal acute glomerulonephritis is prototypic of the immunologic glomerulonephritides. It most commonly follows streptococcal infection of the pharynx or skin. The diagnosis is usually not difficult when a nephritic clinical presentation (with such manifestations as hematuria, edema, and hypertension) is associated with serologic evidence of recent streptococcal infection and a depressed serum complement concentration. Currently, however, the nephritogenic antigen(s) has not been identified and has not been shown to be the same antigen for all nephritogenic streptococci; it may not even be a part of the infecting organism. The development of a vaccine to prevent this illness from occurring is therefore still not possible. Whether poststreptococcal acute glomerulonephritis progresses to chronic renal failure is still uncertain. Painstaking laboratory research together with careful, prospective long-term follow-up studies of patients with poststreptococcal acute glomerulonephritis may provide some of the answers to these critical questions.

Article and Author Information

▸An edited transcription of an Interdepartmental Clinical Case Conference arranged by the Department of Medicine of the UCLA School of Medicine; Los Angeles, California.
▸Authors who wish to cite a section of this conference and specifically indicate its author can use this example for the form of reference:

FINE RN. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of poststreptococcal acute glomerulonephritis, pp. 79-82. In: NISSENSON AR, moderator. Poststreptococcal acute glomerulonephritis: fact and controversy. Ann Intern Med. 1979;91:76-86.
▸Requests for reprints should be addressed to A.R. Nissenson, M.D.; Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, UCLA School of Medicine; Los Angeles, CA 90024.
- Received May 2, 1979.
- Accepted May 8, 1979.