NEW YORK—Evidence-based treatment guided by renal biopsy diagnosis can alleviate symptoms and avoid progression to kidney failure in patients with glomerulonephritis, according to the first clinical practice guideline for glomerulonephritis.

Published this month in Kidney International Supplements, the guideline was developed by an international group of experts, under the auspices of Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO). KDIGO is managed by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF).

Glomerulonephritis is a group of disorders characterized by damage to the kidney’s filtering units which result in the appearance of protein and/or blood in the urine. This guideline recommends that patients in whom these abnormalities are detected should be referred to a nephrologist for evaluation and that a kidney biopsy may need to be performed in order to make a definitive diagnosis.

According to the guideline, proteinuria is the most important parameter for predicting prognosis, relapse of disease and response to treatment, and persistent proteinuria is associated with a worse prognosis.

“Glomerulonephritis may not be curable in all cases, but with proper diagnosis and treatment, many patients can experience lasting remission and kidney function can be preserved,” said Dr. David Wheeler, KDIGO co-chair. “Effective treatments for glomerulonephritis include immunosuppressive agents which induce disease remission as well as medicines that reduce blood pressure and protein loss in the urine.”

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