- The portion of the kidney that is experiencing problems is the glomerulus. SLE can be characterized as a secondary glomerular disease. The presence of red blood cells and casts in the urine indicates the problem is renal and originating from the glomerulus or tubules. Urine resulting from glomerular damage also has proteinuria. In a normal functioning glomerulus, blood with impurities is filtered and the urine is normal. When the glomerulus is damaged, its filtration capabilities are limited. This glomerular damage occurs in patients with SLE. In patients with SLE, the immune system attacks the kidneys and impairs their filtration function, thus allowing blood and protein to leak from the kidneys into the urinary tract.
Source courtesy of
http://www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/gosh_families/information_sheets/lupus_nephritis/iamge1.jpg
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References:
Brunzel, Nancy A. Fundamentals
of Urine & Body Fluid Analysis. 2nd ed.
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