[Acute post-infective glomerulonephritis]

In children post-infectious acute glomerulonephritis is usually caused by beta-hemolytic streptococcus and has a fair prognosis with spontaneous remission in most cases. Rarely, however, the disease may be complicated by oliguria and/or severe hypertension which can cause cardiac congestion or cerebral edema. In adults the acute glomerulonephritis may be caused by a number of different micro-organisms and it often develops in patients with other diseases. The prognosis may be severe and is worsening over the years. The risk of chronic renal failure is increased in patients with crescents and with large interstitial infiltrates. A renal biopsy is recommended in adults with acute glomerulonephritis to make possible a differential diagnosis with other diseases presenting with a nephritic syndrome, to assess the prognosis and to evaluate the pro's and the con's of a treatment with steroid and/or immunosuppressive agents.