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Worried about kidney disease its the only thing my symptoms fit..

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Original post by shiggydiggy
Yeah sounds like they did a dipstick.

Well, did the urologist recommend a course of action for your GP?


No he hasn't yet I have to wait a month for the urology followup. The cytoscopy and ultrasound were clear though and these are the only things Ive had done so I know the results. I was told by 2 people at urology that it was likely an infection.
Original post by civilstudent
No he hasn't yet I have to wait a month for the urology followup. The cytoscopy and ultrasound were clear though and these are the only things Ive had done so I know the results. I was told by 2 people at urology that it was likely an infection.


Ok, so by the sounds of it your urologist isn't particularly worried about you. He just wants to keep an eye on you which is reasonable.

Even if you did go on to have a biopsy be given a diagnosis of IgA, it probably wouldn't change much other than you having your kidney function being monitored every year or so. There is little evidence for treatment, and assuming that your blood tests were all normal and you weren't found to be hypertensive, there is little long-term risk of significant chronic kidney disease. There is actually very little evidence to support therapies for IgA.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by shiggydiggy
Ok, so by the sounds of it your urologist isn't particularly worried about you. He just wants to keep an eye on you which is reasonable.

Even if you did go on to have a biopsy be given a diagnosis of IgA, it probably wouldn't change much other than you having your kidney function being monitored every year or so. There is little evidence for treatment, and assuming that your blood tests were all normal and you weren't found to be hypertensive, there is little long-term risk of significant chronic kidney disease. There is actually very little evidence to support therapies for IgA.


ok thanks, it seems like you study medicine or similar or have read up on it. Ive also thought that at the time I had a cold and my urine turned dark brown I was also on the antibiotic nitrofuratoin (for suspected UTI infection) and apparantly this can discolour urine..although Im not sure how common this is. The antibiotic didn't clear the urine eitherway.

I was then put on erythromyocin for a throat infection I developed alongside the cold, after 5 days of taking this my urine did start to clear but it is still showing blood on dipstick. So if it was an undetected infection maybe it cleared a little, but it probably wasnt infection if the nitrofurantoin didnt work and the uranalysis didnt pick it up. Though I was on antibiotics both times I had the uranalysis which can affect results apparantly.

I know advice cannot be given on here but do you know if UTI infections can be viral? I cannot find much info on viral kidney infections so I assume they are very rare.

meh Im sick of wondering whats wrong I just want to know what it is.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 23
Next time you see your doctor you should tell him that you were looking it up online and you were worried that that was what was wrong with you. Either he'll think you might be right and refer you to the right place or he can tell you why you're wrong and put your mind at ease. Either way you'd get an answer and you'd be able to stop worrying about not knowing.
Reply 24
Original post by the bear
have you mentioned your self-diagnosed lga nephropathy to your GP ? it sounds quite rare so he may not have come across it before.


It's pretty common, since they've been seen by a specialist I imagine that this has been considered.

And you tend not to treat it.

And OP has a follow up with the specialist anyway so they haven't disregarded them.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 25
Original post by civilstudent

I know advice cannot be given on here but do you know if UTI infections can be viral? I cannot find much info on viral kidney infections so I assume they are very rare.

meh Im sick of wondering whats wrong I just want to know what it is.


They can be viral, but this is rare.

Dipstick/urinalysis is a terrible way to pick up infections, the best way is a urine culture but if you're on antibiotics this wouldn't be such a useful way to pick it up like you say.

It could be IgA as you say, it's not that uncommon, but you said you have a follow up with the specialist anyway didn't you? I imagine that they have already thought of it, but perhaps mention it to them when you see them. Mostly, if I remember correctly, this is just something you watch and wait and treatment is contentious - and those treatments that do exist have as many side-effects as benefits, if not more.

EDIT - although I notice that you've only been seen by a urologist, not a nephrologist? If the urologist finds nothing AND you are still getting symptoms, then I would recommend going back to your GP and pointing out that it might something a nephrologist looks at. GP might say no, but at least then they'll give you a reason. Could, alternatively, be something benign like infections as others have said.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by hslt
They can be viral, but this is rare.

Dipstick/urinalysis is a terrible way to pick up infections, the best way is a urine culture but if you're on antibiotics this wouldn't be such a useful way to pick it up like you say.

It could be IgA as you say, it's not that uncommon, but you said you have a follow up with the specialist anyway didn't you? I imagine that they have already thought of it, but perhaps mention it to them when you see them. Mostly, if I remember correctly, this is just something you watch and wait and treatment is contentious - and those treatments that do exist have as many side-effects as benefits, if not more.

EDIT - although I notice that you've only been seen by a urologist, not a nephrologist? If the urologist finds nothing AND you are still getting symptoms, then I would recommend going back to your GP and pointing out that it might something a nephrologist looks at. GP might say no, but at least then they'll give you a reason. Could, alternatively, be something benign like infections as others have said.


yea its just a urology follow up Ive not seen a nephrologist. The gp checked my bp which is ok and asked if i had a family history of kidney disease which I dont, then he referred to urology.

The thing is the blood is now not really visible, it appears a little rusty in the morning but its now fairly clear but the dipstick is still comming up as dark green (the highest on the dipstick scale) for blood So if I wasnt always testing my urine I would have thought it had gone. Most people dont even test their urine so im not really supposed to know its their. Ive thought about forgetting it and just telling myself Im fine now but I wont have had blood in my urine for no reason will I.

Im thinking of asking my gp to do another uranalysis now that im off antibiotics but he might not let me they have already done 2 (though i was on anti biotics) it might seem like im taking the piss (excuse the pun)
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by civilstudent

Im thinking of asking my gp to do another uranalysis now that im off antibiotics but he might not let me they have already done 2 (though i was on anti biotics) it might seem like im taking the piss (excuse the pun)


It kind of seems like you've ignored everything that has been said in this thread.

Look at it this way: You have no pathology on blood tests or imaging. You are asymptomatic (isolated microhaematuria is not a symptom. You may not even have this given that by the sounds of it your urinalysis was normal?). You are not unwell and this is certainly not time critical. You are being reviewed again by a urologist in due course and your GP has agreed to refer you to a nephrologist following that appointment.

Mithering him for repeat (and arguably unnecessary) investigations isn't going to add to your management in any way. Be patient.

If you feel as though you are being mismanaged, have a browse through the recommendations made by the American Urological Association (keeping in mind that they state isolated asymptomatic microhaematuria has to be observed on urinalysis, not dipstick alone):
http://www.auanet.org/education/asymptomatic-microhematuria.cfm
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 28
Original post by civilstudent


Im thinking of asking my gp to do another uranalysis now that im off antibiotics but he might not let me they have already done 2 (though i was on anti biotics) it might seem like im taking the piss (excuse the pun)


Urinalysis is a dipstick.

Microscopy and culture is what you are thinking of asking your GP for. I think it's unlikely to be of any added value to be honest, and you're already in the secondary care system. The specialist wasn't worried, the GP wasn't worried, and you've got another appointment anyway so I suggest you don't worry.
Original post by shiggydiggy
It kind of seems like you've ignored everything that has been said in this thread.

Look at it this way: You have no pathology on blood tests or imaging. You are asymptomatic (isolated microhaematuria is not a symptom. You may not even have this given that by the sounds of it your urinalysis was normal?). You are not unwell and this is certainly not time critical. You are being reviewed again by a urologist in due course and your GP has agreed to refer you to a nephrologist following that appointment.

Mithering him for repeat (and arguably unnecessary) investigations isn't going to add to your management in any way. Be patient.

If you feel as though you are being mismanaged, have a browse through the recommendations made by the American Urological Association (keeping in mind that they state isolated asymptomatic microhaematuria has to be observed on urinalysis, not dipstick alone):
http://www.auanet.org/education/asymptomatic-microhematuria.cfm



Ive not ignored everything, if it is not an infection then yea waiting and watching is all I can really do and the tests were clear so its irrational to assume its anything immediately serious .

Its just the last two urinalysis I had I was on antibiotics which could have affected the results so I thought it might be a good idea to have one done now Im off them. Thats if Im going to consider that it could be infection as I was told by urology it could be..

The blood is microscopic now but for 3 weeks it has been a visible red/dark brown colour or else I wouldnt have reacted like this and been concerned. If its not blood as Im told by by dipstick (unreliable fair enough) and urology (whatever they tested with) then I don't know what else it could be, Im not an expert so naturally I worry and assume its blood even if its not microscopically proven. I need to just forget it and wait for urology but I get like this when it comes to health.

GP hasn't agreed to refer to a nephrologist yet Ive not even mentioned it to him, thats what I was going to make an appointment for and I thought it might be a good idea to ask for another uranalysis now I am OFF the antibiotics, just to be sure its not a lingering infection. I got told by my mum though (a nurse so she expects people to believe her lol) that he probably wont refer to nephrology until Ive had the follow up urology appointment though.

I don't have to literally mither the gp as you put it, I could ring up reception who could ask them to for a uranalysis so that Im not wasting much of his time. Thats what I did for my antibiotics it usually works lol.

cheers for the link.
(edited 10 years ago)

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