Question
The neighbor’s child has been experiencing severe swelling in the limbs and persistent low fever for the past few days. Concerned family members took him to the hospital for a checkup, where the doctor diagnosed him with IgA nephropathy and mentioned that some related tests would need to be conducted.
Answer
IgA nephropathy may sometimes be accompanied by mild systemic symptoms such as muscle pain, dysuria, lumbar pain, and low-grade fever. The morphology of urine cells is predominantly deformed, indicating glomerular origin of hematuria. However, mixed hematuria can also be observed at times. It is commonly seen in adolescents. After a hematuria episode that is visible to the naked eye, red blood cells may disappear from the urine, or it may transition to persistent microscopic hematuria. Visible hematuria episodes tend to recur.