Kidney involvement

[Gcart]

Hi , hoping for a bit of help. I have a diagnosis of lupus and so far have tried anti-inflammatories , which I couldn’t take because of side effects. Now I have codiene for pain which I take on occasions.

My question is this. I know that my kidney blood screen is good on blood results at GPs however I get quite a lot of very sharp pain in the kidney area on the right side. Sometimes it’s a dull ache but this is very frequently. So really I want to know if you can have problems even with a good kidney screen

Thank you

[Paul_Howard Partner LUPUS UK]

Hi Gcart ,

Have you had urine tests in addition to the blood tests? Has there been any blood or protein in your urine?

Levels of creatinine in the blood are used to measure your kidney function and this is often converted into 'eGFR' which allows medical practitioners to calculate an approximate percentage of her well your kidneys are working. Creatinine levels are often normal in people with active lupus nephritis and therefore a abnormal result is usually only seen when the kidney damage is already severe.

Have you told your GP about the pain you have been experiencing? Have they requested any further tests? Usually inflammation in the kidneys from lupus is difficult to identify for patients because it does not present with any noticeable symptoms until the later stages - which should show up in tests. Could the pain possibly be muscular?

If you'd like more information about lupus and the kidneys, you can read and download our booklet at lupusuk.org.uk/wp-content/u...

[Tulipano in reply to Paul_Howard]

They have sent my urine off for infections and came back normal also no protein just blood. I had a ct scan which was normal too.

[Gcart in reply to Paul_Howard]

Thank you for getting back to me. Hopefully it is muscular however, I have tested urine as I have the kit that the docs use as a result of kidney infections I had going back a year or so. Every time I test it always has protein and white cells in, albeit the first colouration on the strip. Another thing is very often I don’t ‘ go’ much and it can be difficult to start, but then at night 3 or 4 times,!

Maybe I should mention to doctor when , thanks

[Paul_Howard Partner LUPUS UK in reply to Gcart]

Yes, mention it to your doctor. They may wish to arrange an ultrasound or biopsy to test for any possible lupus involvement with the kidneys. Let us know how you get on.