Autoimmune disease is a condition when the body’s immune system begins attacking healthy tissue and Fibromyalgia is strongly linked with it. And autoimmune disease can sometimes be deadly due to a condition called glomerulonephritis. That’s why it’s important to be aware of the possibility of developing autoimmune conditions when you have fibromyalgia and be aware of how to manage them so, what exactly is glomerulonephritis? Can fibromyalgia lead to it? And what can you do to treat it?
What is Glomerulonephritis?
Glomeruli are structures in your kidneys that are made up of minute blood vessels and inflammation of these structures is called Glomerulonephritis (GN). To help filter your blood and remove surplus fluids these knots play a very important role, your kidneys will stop working appropriately if your glomeruli are damaged, and you can go into kidney failure.
GN is a serious disease that can be life-threatening and needs instant treatment and it is sometimes called nephritis. GN can be both acute, or sudden, and chronic, or long-term. Bright’s disease was the old name of this disease. The kidney plays three major roles in regulating the body Filters blood and produces urine, Regulates electrolytes and fluid level in the body and Helps in regulating blood pressure and production of red blood cells (RBCs) over time, the inflammation begins to damage your kidneys and lead to the build of scar tissue.
This makes it difficult for the kidneys to perform their usual function of filtering out toxins in the blood. And eventually, it can be fatal. The first signs of this damage typically show up in urine. Your urine may be pink or dark due to the build of red blood cells in the kidneys. Or it may be frothy due to an excess of protein.
You may notice puffiness in the face or limbs as well as your body begins to preserve water that can’t be passed through the kidneys. It’s important to see a doctor immediately if you show any of these signs. Early detection is vital in preventing further damage. You should be alert that you have a higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases if you have fibromyalgia that can harm the kidneys.
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What are the causes of GN?
Whether GN is acute or chronic, the causes depend on them. Acute GN can be a response to an infection such as strep throat or an abscessed tooth. Your immune system may overreact in response to the infection. This can go away without treatment.
Quick treatment is required if it doesn’t go away to put off long-term harm to your kidneys. Some specific diseases are known to cause acute GN, including amyloidosis, which occurs when anomalous proteins that can cause damage accumulate in your organs and tissues, Wegener’s granulomatosis, a rare disease that causes inflammation of the blood vessels, polyarteritis nodosa, a disease in which cells attack arteries, Goodpasture syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease in which antibodies attack your kidneys and lungs, systemic lupus erythematosus which is also called lupus and strep throat.
Ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve) are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and they may also be a risk factor. You shouldn’t go beyond the dosage and length of treatment scheduled on the bottle without seeking guidance from your primary care provider.
Chronic GN doesn’t always have a clear cause. Chronic GN is occasionally caused by genetic disease. Hereditary nephritis occurs in young men with poor vision and poor hearing. Other possible causes include exposure to some hydrocarbon solvents, a history of cancer and certain immune diseases. The chronic type of GN can build up over several years with no or hardly any symptoms. This can cause irretrievable harm to your kidneys and eventually lead to total kidney failure.
Can Fibromyalgia Cause It?
We know that people with fibromyalgia tend to develop autoimmune conditions at a higher rate than other people. Many doctors think that this means that fibromyalgia itself may be an autoimmune disease. But there are a few reasons to think that this might not be the case. Initially, people with fibromyalgia don’t have high levels of antibodies in the blood that typically comes with autoimmune conditions.
This states that the condition isn’t connected to the immune system. The swelling caused by autoimmune diseases is not the same that is caused by fibromyalgia. So it means fibromyalgia sufferers aren’t going to have glomerulonephritis suddenly. But they are still at risk of developing an autoimmune disease that can cause it. We don’t know for sure why this is the case, but it might have something to do with the mental stress that people with fibromyalgia are under. Fibromyalgia leads to chronic stress and depression.- via FibromyalgiaResources.com
And we know that this kind of mental anguish increases your risk of developing autoimmune conditions. So, finding ways to cope with the depression of fibromyalgia can help prevent the development of autoimmune disease
Treatment
One treatment is to control high blood pressure, especially if that’s the underlying cause of the GN. Blood pressure may be very hard to control when your kidneys aren’t working properly. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, or ACE inhibitors, such as valsartan (Diovan) and irbesartan (Avapro) are prescribed by the doctors in this condition.
The first is a type of drug called non-steroidal anti-inflammator drugs, or NSAIDs. This type of drug includes things like aspirin and ibuprofen. They work by blocking the production of enzymes that cause inflammation. And they can also help limit pain. The second type is corticosteroids.
Corticosteroid is a hormone that the body produces naturally in response to inflammation. But doctor can also prescribe synthetic corticosteroids to help if the natural production isn’t enough. But if the damage to your kidneys is too advanced, you may have to go on dialysis. A dialysis machine works by filtering your blood and putting it back in your body, thus performing the same function as the kidneys.
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Reference:
- How to control swelling in fibromyalgia by M G Rana,MD via Fibromyalgia Resources
- Connection between Hypertension , High Blood Pressure and Fibromyalgia by Naomi Prex Arbaa, MD via Fibromyalgia Resources
- Can Fibromyalgia Lead to Glomerulonephritis? by Wyatt Redd via Fibromyalgia Treating
- Role of Inflammation in Fibromyalgia by M G Rana,MD via Fibromyalgia Resources
- Linking Fibromyalgia to Anxiety and depression via FibromyalgiaResources.com
