Following a diagnosis of acute glomerulonephritis (AGN) in their 6-year-old child, the parent’s remark: “We just don’t know how he caught the disease!” The nurse’s response is based on an understanding that:
A. AGN is a streptococcal infection that involves the kidney tubules.
B. The disease is easily transmissible in schools and camps.
C. The illness is usually associated with chronic respiratory infections.
D. It is not “caught” but is a response to a previous B-hemolytic strep infection.
Correct Answer: D. It is not “caught” but is a response to a previous B-hemolytic strep infection.
AGN is generally accepted as an immune-complex disease in relation to an antecedent streptococcal infection of 4 to 6 weeks prior and is considered as a noninfectious renal disease.
Option A: Acute glomerulonephritis comprises a specific set of renal diseases in which an immunologic mechanism triggers inflammation and proliferation of glomerular tissue that can result in damage to the basement membrane, mesangium, or capillary endothelium.
Option B: The disease is most commonly caused by Streptococcus species. Glomerulonephritis may develop a week or two after recovery from a strep throat infection or, rarely, a skin infection (impetigo). To fight the infection, the body produces extra antibodies that can eventually settle in the glomeruli, causing inflammation.
Option C: Acute glomerulonephritis is usually associated with staphylococcal infection. Infections with other types of bacteria, such as staphylococcus and pneumococcus, viral infections, such as chickenpox, and parasitic infections, such as malaria, can also result in acute glomerulonephritis. Acute glomerulonephritis that results from any of these infections is called postinfectious glomerulonephritis.