Re: Question about IGA- and another question...

>

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February 10, 2005

Yes, that seems like a reasonable statement to me.

Pierre

Re: Question about IGA- and another question...

>

> Pierre,

>

> The Neph from Hopkins said that even with a benign case of Acute Glom.

> (the non-IGA, kind caused by staph) Protein can be in the urine for 6

> months before clearing.

>

> Do you believe this one?

>

> Phil

>

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>

February 10, 2005

I wouldn't attach too much meaning to simple dipstick tests for blood and

protein in the urine. They are just very rough tests (and often falsely

positive), not a true urinalysis.

Pierre

Re: Question about IGA- and another question...

Elaine,

Good question. My son had a urine test today. No blood but 1+ protein.

Yesterdays' mid-day urine was normal.

What does this mean?

Phil

> > Phil, this is the best I can do...

> >

> > There is something called post-strep glomerulonephritis. In this

> case, the

> > strep infection is definitely the cause of the nephritis, but this

> kind of

> > nephritis usually is not permanent. It does NOT turn into IgAN.

> Some people

> > may already have a mild, undetected IgAN which does become

> diagnosed by

> > coincidence after a strep infection.

> >

> > What happens with IgAN is not really understood by even the best

> > nephrologists and the most expert researchers in the field, but

> with the

> > knowledge we have about it at present, it seems like the problem

> is not with

> > having IgA immune complexes circulating in our blood (which

> everyone in the

> > world has), but rather a problem with their structure. To put it

> simply,

> > they end up binding with something in the kidneys where they

> shouldn't. The

> > defect appears at this time to be with the IgA immune complexes

> themselves,

> > rather than a defect in the kidneys themselves. Many experts think

> that IgAN

> > is simply the same thing as HSP (Henoch-Schönlein purpura), but

> with only

> > the one symptom in the kidneys. Nobody knows what causes HSP

> either. All we

> > know is that HSP appears to be triggered by bacterial or viral

> infections,

> > medicines, insect bites, vaccinations or exposure to chemicals or

> cold

> > weather. Is is the same with just IgAN without the other HSP

> symptoms? This

> > is unknown.

> >

> > Now, is there a precipitating event that causes triggers the IgA

> complexes

> > to become defective? Is it something that people who eventually

> develop IgAN

> > had all along since they were born, something they were genetically

> > pre-disposed to get whenever the right trgger came along? Or is

> there

> > something we are doing or being exposed to in life that causes

> this defect

> > to occur? Nobody can answer that. We, ie. medical science, simply

> do not

> > know.

> >

> > When people say they got an upper respiratory infection of some

> kind and had

> > visible blood in their urine, and then were diagnosed with IgAN,

> it could be

> > that the upper respiratory infection only caused the little flare-

> up of

> > hematuria (blood in urine), because the IgAN was already there,

> too mild to

> > be detected.

> >

> > Others may do so, but I can guarantee that I would never, ever

> suggest IgAN

> > starts with a single event. What I think happens is that for most

> people, a

> > single event just happens to cause the existing underlying

> condition to

> > generate hematuria, which gets the attention of the person or

> parent, and

> > then the doctor for what would have otherwise not have been

> noticed until

> > there was more renal failure. But of course, I have no proof of

> that. It's

> > only what I think.

> >

> > I think this because other people with IgAN never get the visible

> blood in

> > the urine. Like me, they just happen to have a routine medical

> examination

> > and they are found to have microscopic blood in the urine. Further

> > investigation eventually leads to diagnosis of IgAN.

> >

> > Some people are probably more prone than others to have the

> underlying IgAN

> > flare up into a more significant inflammation, which causes the

> hematuria

> > (usually harmless on its own), and/or proteinuria. Everyone with

> IgAN has

> > proteinuria, but for the majority, it just stays at a mild to

> moderate

> > level. For others, it flares up into a heavier proteinuria which

> must be

> > treated. Why? We don't know. There are a lot of things that aren't

> known

> > about all glomerular kidney diseases.

> >

> > Pierre

>

> To edit your settings for the group, go to our Yahoo Group

> home page:

>

> To unsubcribe via email,

> Visit our companion website at www.igan.ca. The site is entirely

supported by donations. If you would like to help, go to:

>

> Thank you

>

February 10, 2005

I wouldn't attach too much meaning to simple dipstick tests for blood and

protein in the urine. They are just very rough tests (and often falsely

positive), not a true urinalysis.

Pierre

Re: Question about IGA- and another question...

Elaine,

Good question. My son had a urine test today. No blood but 1+ protein.

Yesterdays' mid-day urine was normal.

What does this mean?

Phil

> > Phil, this is the best I can do...

> >

> > There is something called post-strep glomerulonephritis. In this

> case, the

> > strep infection is definitely the cause of the nephritis, but this

> kind of

> > nephritis usually is not permanent. It does NOT turn into IgAN.

> Some people

> > may already have a mild, undetected IgAN which does become

> diagnosed by

> > coincidence after a strep infection.

> >

> > What happens with IgAN is not really understood by even the best

> > nephrologists and the most expert researchers in the field, but

> with the

> > knowledge we have about it at present, it seems like the problem

> is not with

> > having IgA immune complexes circulating in our blood (which

> everyone in the

> > world has), but rather a problem with their structure. To put it

> simply,

> > they end up binding with something in the kidneys where they

> shouldn't. The

> > defect appears at this time to be with the IgA immune complexes

> themselves,

> > rather than a defect in the kidneys themselves. Many experts think

> that IgAN

> > is simply the same thing as HSP (Henoch-Schönlein purpura), but

> with only

> > the one symptom in the kidneys. Nobody knows what causes HSP

> either. All we

> > know is that HSP appears to be triggered by bacterial or viral

> infections,

> > medicines, insect bites, vaccinations or exposure to chemicals or

> cold

> > weather. Is is the same with just IgAN without the other HSP

> symptoms? This

> > is unknown.

> >

> > Now, is there a precipitating event that causes triggers the IgA

> complexes

> > to become defective? Is it something that people who eventually

> develop IgAN

> > had all along since they were born, something they were genetically

> > pre-disposed to get whenever the right trgger came along? Or is

> there

> > something we are doing or being exposed to in life that causes

> this defect

> > to occur? Nobody can answer that. We, ie. medical science, simply

> do not

> > know.

> >

> > When people say they got an upper respiratory infection of some

> kind and had

> > visible blood in their urine, and then were diagnosed with IgAN,

> it could be

> > that the upper respiratory infection only caused the little flare-

> up of

> > hematuria (blood in urine), because the IgAN was already there,

> too mild to

> > be detected.

> >

> > Others may do so, but I can guarantee that I would never, ever

> suggest IgAN

> > starts with a single event. What I think happens is that for most

> people, a

> > single event just happens to cause the existing underlying

> condition to

> > generate hematuria, which gets the attention of the person or

> parent, and

> > then the doctor for what would have otherwise not have been

> noticed until

> > there was more renal failure. But of course, I have no proof of

> that. It's

> > only what I think.

> >

> > I think this because other people with IgAN never get the visible

> blood in

> > the urine. Like me, they just happen to have a routine medical

> examination

> > and they are found to have microscopic blood in the urine. Further

> > investigation eventually leads to diagnosis of IgAN.

> >

> > Some people are probably more prone than others to have the

> underlying IgAN

> > flare up into a more significant inflammation, which causes the

> hematuria

> > (usually harmless on its own), and/or proteinuria. Everyone with

> IgAN has

> > proteinuria, but for the majority, it just stays at a mild to

> moderate

> > level. For others, it flares up into a heavier proteinuria which

> must be

> > treated. Why? We don't know. There are a lot of things that aren't

> known

> > about all glomerular kidney diseases.

> >

> > Pierre

>

> To edit your settings for the group, go to our Yahoo Group

> home page:

>

> To unsubcribe via email,

> Visit our companion website at www.igan.ca. The site is entirely

supported by donations. If you would like to help, go to: