Section 11. Kidney and Urinary Tract Disorders

Chapter 144. Nephritis

Topics: Introduction | Nephritic Syndrome | Nephrotic Syndrome | Asymptomatic Proteinuria and Hematuria Syndrome | Tubulointerstitial Nephritis

Asymptomatic Proteinuria and Hematuria Syndrome

Asymptomatic proteinuria and hematuria syndrome is a disorder of glomeruli characterized by steady or intermittent loss of small amounts of protein and blood in the urine.

Mild proteinuria and hematuria are sometimes discovered in people without symptoms, when urine tests are performed for routine purposes. The presence of clumps of red blood cells (casts) or abnormally shaped red blood cells is a clue for doctors that the blood in the urine came from glomeruli. A kidney biopsy may show that glomeruli contain deposits of antibodies or slight changes in the cells that filter the blood. However, a kidney biopsy is rarely performed because the likelihood of finding a treatable disease is very low.

Doctors usually recommend that people with this syndrome have a physical examination and undergo urine testing once or twice a year. Additional tests are performed if the amount of protein or blood increases much, or if symptoms occur that suggest the development of a specific disease. Most people with asymptomatic proteinuria and hematuria syndrome do not worsen, and the condition may persist indefinitely.