Treatment

Treatment of glomerulonephritis and your outcome depend on:

• Whether you have an acute or chronic form of the disease
• The underlying cause
• The type and severity of your signs and symptoms

Some cases of acute glomerulonephritis, especially those that follow a strep infection, might improve on their own and require no treatment. If there's an underlying cause, such as high blood pressure, an infection or an autoimmune disease, treatment will be directed to the underlying cause.

In general, the goal of treatment is to protect your kidneys from further damage.

Therapies for associated kidney failure

For acute glomerulonephritis and acute kidney failure, dialysis can help remove excess fluid and control high blood pressure. The only long-term therapies for end-stage kidney disease are kidney dialysis and kidney transplant. When a transplant isn't possible, often because of poor general health, dialysis is the only option.