A rare disease that is also known as anti-glomerular basement antibody disease, this syndrome affects the kidneys and the lungs. It is auto-immune, meaning the body will attack itself. There are a couple of things that may cause this.
Causes
Possible causes of Goodpasture’s syndrome include chemical exposure and viral infections. Chemicals that may be the cause of this include solvents like weed killer and hydrocarbon solvents.
Symptoms
The signs of this syndrome include burning while urinating and coughing up blood. The very early signs can be missed, such as fatigue, paleness, difficulty breathing, and nausea. After these symptoms, there will begin to be involvement with the kidneys and may include symptoms of blood in the urine or protein in the urine. A quick urinalysis can help check for blood or protein in the urine.
Diagnosis
While a blood test may be ordered, typically the doctor will be doing kidney or lung biopsies. These biopsies, where a small section of tissue is taken from either the lung or kidney, can tell the doctor if there are antibodies present. It is one of the few ways to check for this condition.
Treatment
There are a couple of medications that can be given to help with the syndrome. Oral immunosuppressive drugs like corticosteroids can help keep the immune system from making the antibodies. They can also control bleeding in the lungs when they are given through an IV.
Plasmapheresis
Plasmapheresis is another way that Goodpasture’s syndrome can be treated. This is a process where 300 ml of blood is drawn at a time and put into a device called a centrifuge. Centrifuges mix and spin the blood to separate the red blood cells and the white blood cells. Cells are put into a plasma substitute, harmful antibodies removed, and put back into the body.
Source: National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse