[Nephrologic emergency or bland course? Why glomerulonephritis should be checked out]

Glomerulonephritis frequently takes an asymptomatic course, and may lead on to chronic renal insufficiency. If clinical signs of glomerulonephritis are present, the syndrome must be characterized by means of a comprehensive diagnostic work-up. The definitive diagnosis can be established only on the basis of a renal biopsy, which also permits an assessment of the prognosis. In this review, the basic pathogenetic principles are described in brief. Taking the most important forms of glomerulonephritis--IgA nephropathy, membranous glomerulonephritis and rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis--as examples, the general therapeutic options and a number of specific treatment strategies are discussed. New facts relating to the mechanisms of glomerular damage will in future make possible the use of targeted therapeutic interventions.