IgA Nephropathy (Berger's disease) is a type of primary glomerular disease. Generally, there is no obvious symptom in early stage of this disease. It is a progressive condition and sometimes it was first detected when there is blood or protein in the urine.

Signs and symptoms of IgA Nephropathy may include:

Thirst, itchy skin, back pain, weight loss, muscle cramp, loss of appetite, shortness of breath and high blood pressure.

Swelling(edema), usually the eyes, hands, and feet

Discoloration of urine: thick-tea colored urine or cola-colored urine

Excessive or less urine volume: The regular urine volume is 1500 ml/d, 4 to 8 times a day. If there is rapid increase or sharpen decrease in urine volume, you had better check out whether there are pathological changes of kidneys.

Due to kidney damage, there is no enough erythropoietin that can be used to produce blood cells in the kidneys. Sufferers may feel cold and fatigue.

Unwell condition: in early stage, there are always no obvious symptoms. When it develop into kidney failure, the patients may experience symptoms of nausea and vomiting.

Gross hematuria: Usually appears after an upper respiratory infection, acute gastroenteritis and other type of infections. It can last several hours to a few days, usually less than three days. Within 2 - 3 days, it will develop into microscopic hematuria.

Proteinuria: IgA Nephropathy patients are mostly characterized by mild proteinuria. The symptoms are the occurrence of bubble in the urine, which can last for a long time.

It is common for patients with years of this illness without developing signs or symptoms. If you have some of the above signs and symptoms, you can see your doctor to discuss what might be causing them.

If you have been diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy, we're here to help. You can email us at: renal-disease@hotmail.com (Monday through Sunday) to make an appointment.