Guest guest Posted November 26, 2003 Report Share Posted November 26, 2003 Hi Dave, In answer to this question, viral illnesses normally cause a flare up of the IgAN and it is pretty common for lab results to get worse during the course of the illness. However, usually after the viral illness has been fought off, normally the lab results return to their pre-viral illness baseline. Hope that answers your question. In a message dated 11/26/2003 3:49:34 AM Pacific Standard Time, garradh@... writes: > if someone with IgA > contacts other viral illness, 'flu etc - does/can this cause more IgA > to find its way to kidneys and cause more damage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2003 Report Share Posted November 26, 2003 Dave: I don't know the answer to your question, but I am curious to hear what others have to say, because my IgAN seems to act similar to yours. Now, approximately once a year, I get this short-duration (24hrs) flu-like thing which invariably leads to gross hematuria. (Actually the last one was about a year ago, so knock on wood). My kidney numbers have stayed pretty steady over the last 3+ years (knock on wood again), so this may be at least some anecdotal evidence that other infections do not necessarily cause more damage. > I know some of the posts have been a little tongue in cheek from me > lately - hope that's ok, we need to laugh huh? > > Anyway I have a couple of questions that have popped into my head > whilst reading todays posts - I've split them into two posts because > they aren't at all related. > > Ok, first of all ... I as I understand it in laymans terms, when I > had my nasty stomach virus (woke up one morning with 'flu like > symptoms but was also throwing up) my body produced, amongst other > things, Immunoglobulin A to help fight the infection. For some reason > (and I've read a few different theories) IgA then ends up in the > kindneys and we are where we are now - I know that's a fairly basic > summary. > > (get on with the question I hear you say!)Ok so if someone with IgA > contacts other viral illness, 'flu etc - does/can this cause more IgA > to find its way to kidneys and cause more damage? Or am I way off > track? > > Thanks > > Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2003 Report Share Posted November 26, 2003 and Dave, I believe that any infection can lead to gross hematuria. I think it is a way that the kidney complains about you letting yourself get like that when they already don't feel so good. But the only time that I have ever had that is when I had a strep infection. That helped me because my docs immediately sent me to a nephrologist and I was diagnosed. I haven't had it since and I have gotten down low enough to be transplanted. Re: Viral Infections Dave: I don't know the answer to your question, but I am curious to hear what others have to say, because my IgAN seems to act similar to yours. Now, approximately once a year, I get this short-duration (24hrs) flu-like thing which invariably leads to gross hematuria. (Actually the last one was about a year ago, so knock on wood). My kidney numbers have stayed pretty steady over the last 3+ years (knock on wood again), so this may be at least some anecdotal evidence that other infections do not necessarily cause more damage. > I know some of the posts have been a little tongue in cheek from me > lately - hope that's ok, we need to laugh huh? > > Anyway I have a couple of questions that have popped into my head > whilst reading todays posts - I've split them into two posts because > they aren't at all related. > > Ok, first of all ... I as I understand it in laymans terms, when I > had my nasty stomach virus (woke up one morning with 'flu like > symptoms but was also throwing up) my body produced, amongst other > things, Immunoglobulin A to help fight the infection. For some reason > (and I've read a few different theories) IgA then ends up in the > kindneys and we are where we are now - I know that's a fairly basic > summary. > > (get on with the question I hear you say!)Ok so if someone with IgA > contacts other viral illness, 'flu etc - does/can this cause more IgA > to find its way to kidneys and cause more damage? Or am I way off > track? > > Thanks > > Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 28, 2003 Report Share Posted November 28, 2003 I will try to explain this better. IgA is a normal part of the everyday immune system. With IgAN, those molecules tend to get deposited in the kidneys. This happens on a regular basis with chronic IgAN, regardless of the absence or presence of illness. Of course in response to any viral illness, the immune system gets kicked into high gear, and that can make things flare up even more. However, after the viral illness is gone, most often our kidney levels return to their baseline levels. Does that make it any more clear? I hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 28, 2003 Report Share Posted November 28, 2003 :-) Yes, that would be the million dollar question. If you can figure that one out, you could be a very wealthy man! So what triggers it then? Or is that the $30m question? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 28, 2003 Report Share Posted November 28, 2003 In a message dated 11/28/2003 1:55:07 PM Pacific Standard Time, garradh@... writes: > I may have had this for several years and it took this specific > virus to trigger a haematuria which caught my attention? > This is the most likely scenario. There are many who have IgAN undetected for many years until they experience a flare up, such as happens with a viral illness, or by a routine urinalysis that picks up protein even though the patient is completely unaware of any symptoms at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 28, 2003 Report Share Posted November 28, 2003 In a message dated 11/28/2003 1:55:07 PM Pacific Standard Time, garradh@... writes: > I may have had this for several years and it took this specific > virus to trigger a haematuria which caught my attention? > This is the most likely scenario. There are many who have IgAN undetected for many years until they experience a flare up, such as happens with a viral illness, or by a routine urinalysis that picks up protein even though the patient is completely unaware of any symptoms at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 28, 2003 Report Share Posted November 28, 2003 Thanks and others who replied ) Ok, I'm a wee bit confused - maybe I just mis-understood this but I thought it was a reaction to viral illness that caused the production of IgA and ended up with it being deposited in my kidneys! So I was wondering whether further viral episodes would cause even more to be deposited and making things worse? Have I grasped something wrongly here? So much to learn, I think I'm in information overload ( Re: Viral Infections Hi Dave, In answer to this question, viral illnesses normally cause a flare up of the IgAN and it is pretty common for lab results to get worse during the course of the illness. However, usually after the viral illness has been fought off, normally the lab results return to their pre-viral illness baseline. Hope that answers your question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 28, 2003 Report Share Posted November 28, 2003 I think tt has thanks! So basically, once whatever triggers IgA to deposit in your kidneys, that's it, it's like there's no internal off switch and it is continuous? So what triggers it then? Or is that the $30m question? > I will try to explain this better. > > IgA is a normal part of the everyday immune system. With IgAN, those > molecules tend to get deposited in the kidneys. This happens on a regular basis with > chronic IgAN, regardless of the absence or presence of illness. Of course in > response to any viral illness, the immune system gets kicked into high gear, > and that can make things flare up even more. However, after the viral illness > is gone, most often our kidney levels return to their baseline levels. > > Does that make it any more clear? > > I hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 28, 2003 Report Share Posted November 28, 2003 So ... I was assuming that when I had my virus earlier in the year, that this was when my kidneys became " infected " but .... that may not be the case? I may have had this for several years and it took this specific virus to trigger a haematuria which caught my attention? > :-) Yes, that would be the million dollar question. If you can figure that > one out, you could be a very wealthy man! > > > > So what triggers it then? Or is that the $30m question? > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 28, 2003 Report Share Posted November 28, 2003 Damn, that's not really a senario I'd considered > > This is the most likely scenario. There are many who have IgAN undetected > for many years until they experience a flare up, such as happens with a viral > illness, or by a routine urinalysis that picks up protein even though the > patient is completely unaware of any symptoms at all. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.