Trends in Nephrology: From reducing proteinuria with steroids to curing glomerulonephritis

The traditional conceptGlomerulonephritis (GN) is a subgroup of kidney disorders characterized inflammation and injury at the glomerular filtration barrier manifesting as hypertension, proteinuria, and hematuria.Severe injury can also impair the excretory function of the kidney and persistent injury can lead to progressive CKD ultimately causing kidney failure.Traditionally, the diagnosis of a GN relied on a kidney biopsy, which categorized GN according to sophisticated lesion patterns involving the proliferation or injury of different glomerular cell types, deposits of complement factors, immunoglobulins, polytypic or monotypic, or signs of irreversible scaring.Such biopsies confirm the diagnosis of a GN, the degree of scarring correlates with longterm outcomes, and the diagnostic biopsy can validate serum and urine biomarkers.None of these replaces the diagnostic biopsy nor outweighs eGFR and proteinuria in defining prognosis and guiding patient care.Nevertheless, deep-dives into