Description

The kidney’s principal role is the elimination of waste material and regulation of volume and composition of body fluid. The kidney has a unique system involving the free ultra-filtration of water and non-protein bound low molecular weight compounds from the plasma and the selective reabsorption or excretion of these as ultrafiltrate passes along the tubules. The functioning unit is the nephron of which there are approximately one million in each kidney. An essential feature of renal function is that a large volume of blood-25% of cardiac output or approximately 1300 ml/min, passes through the two million glomeruli of the kidneys which is a part of the nephron. Glomerular inflammation can be caused either by conditions which appear primarily to involve the kidneys or conditions in which glomerular involvement is secondary to widespread systemic diseases. Basically glomerulonephritis is a group of diseases in which the diseases affect the glomerulus & is often inflammatory in nature.

The common causes of glomerulonephritis can be divided into primary & secondary. Primary causes of this are mainly,

1-Minimal change glomerular disease.

2-proliferative glomerular disease.

Secondary causes are SLE, polyarteritis nodosa, Diabetes Mellitus, Amyloidosis, Henoch schonlein disease. The important clinical features are as follows:

Patients may present with puffiness of the face most marked in the morning. Anorexia, nausea & vomiting are common. Breathlessness, fever & fits may occur. Urine output may be decreased. Dependent edema & HTN are also marked.

The second most important factor which disturbs the functioning of the kidney is renal calculi. Common causes of renal calculi formation are dehydration, hypercalcaemia, hypercalciuria, hyperoxaluria, hyperuricaemia & hyperuricosuria, infection, renal tubular acidosis. Common clinical features of renal calculi are as follows. Pain is the main symptom & a dull ache is felt in the loin. Kidneys may be palpable if there is hydronephrosis.

W.S. Homoeopathic pharmacy & research center (Regd.) Lahore has prepared a medicine for the treatment of renal inflammation & calculi. This drug not only cures the inflammation of glomeruli but also dissolves the renal calculi.