Biology Forums - Study Force

Eleven-year-old Harry is complaining of a severe sore throat and gets to stay home from school. His pediatrician prescribes a course of broad-spectrum antibiotics, and Harry feels much better within a few days. However, some two weeks later, Harry has a dull, bilateral pain in his lower back and his urine is a smoky brown color. On the basis of Harry's signs and symptoms, diagnose his condition and indicate the relationship (if any) between his present condition and his earlier sore throat.

Harry is showing the symptoms of kidney inflammation. Kidney inflammations usually result from infections either of the lower urinary tract or, in Harry's case, from his earlier infection of a sore throat. Streptococcal infection of the throat can induce anti-streptococcal antibodies that bind to them, depositing immune complexes in the glomerular membranes. The kidney inflammation that primarily involves glomeruli is called glomerulonephritis, and if severe enough can cause permanent renal failure. In post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, the smoky brown color of urine most commonly represents the leakage of blood cells through the damaged glomerular membrane.