Goodpasture's Syndrome
What is Good pasture’s Syndrome?
Goodpasture's Syndrome is a disease, which involves a progressive decrease in the kidney’s ability to function or behave properly and haemorrhaging of the lungs. However, the disease may also cause lung disease alone or kidney disease alone. But most commonly the lung symptoms develop first before the kidney disease becomes evident.
Kidney disease – It primarily involves the filtering units and is usually only recognised when an explosion acceleration of the disease occurs, so that the kidney function can be lost in coming days. Blood leaks into the urine and the amount of urine decrease, and fluid and other waste products are retained within body.
Lung disease - Lung haemorrhage at its most severe may cause very severe impairment of oxygenation so that the intensive care and artificial ventilation are needed. However, at the other end it may cause dry cough and minor breathlessness.
Symptoms of Goodpasture's Syndrome?
The most common symptoms of Goodpasture's Syndrome can be divided into kidney and lung disease.
Kidney disease involves : Blood leaks into the urine, high blood pressure and oedema
Lung disease involves : dry cough and breathlessness.
Other possible symptoms could be weakness, chest pain, blood urine and difficulty in breathing.
How is Goodpasture's Syndrome Diagnosed?
Due to the vagueness and rapid progress of the Goodpasture's Syndrome diagnosis is often not reached until the last stage in the course of the disease. Kidney biopsy is the fastest method to secure the diagnosis and gain information about the extent and likely effect of the treatment. Tests for Goodpasture's Syndrome antibodies may also be useful, combined with tests for antibodies to neutrophil cytoplasmic antigens, which are also directed against the patient’s own proteins.
Can Goodpasture's Syndrome be treated?
Goodpasture's Syndrome can be treated with corticosteroids and immunosuppressants; however the side effects could be more serious, includes risk of infection that in turn may progress the growth of the disease. The presence of Anti-GBM antibodies in blood can be reduced by apheresis to evacuate blood plasma and its replacement with isotonic salt and other protein solution. This course of treatment may last between three and six months.
Antibiotic treatment of lung diseases and stopping smoke may also help to reduce lung haemorrhaging.
If at all the kidney failure becomes serious, dialysis may be needed for the kidney’s to function normally.
How long does Goodpasture's Syndrome Last?
Goodpasture's Syndrome may last only a few weeks or as long as 2 years. Bleeding in lungs can be very serious in most cases, but Goodpasture's Syndrome
does not lead to any kind of permanent lung damage. Damages cause to the kidneys may be long lasting and if the kidney fails then the kidney transplantation or dialysis therapy to remove waste products and extra fluids from the blood may become necessary.
Possible Complications?
The possible complications with Goodpasture's Syndrome can be listed as follows:
Chronic kidney failure – It is a gradual and progressive loss of the ability of the kidneys to excrete wastes, concentrate urine and conserve electrolytes
End-stage kidney disease – The end-stage kidney disease is complete failure of kidneys to function wastes, concentrate urine and conserve electrolytes.
Respirator failures and Lung bleeding
