Rapid Weight Gain and Swelling: 12-Year-Old Boy Diagnosed with Acute Glomerulonephritis after Streptococcus Infection

Quan, a 12-year-old boy from Ho Chi Minh City, had difficulty breathing and swelling all over his body. He gained 4 kg in three days and had high blood pressure, which led to his diagnosis with acute glomerulonephritis caused by streptococcus. Three weeks prior, Quan had a fever and cough, which his family initially believed to be a sore throat. They treated him with fever-reducing medicine, but after the fever and cough subsided, he returned to school without any issues.

Last week, Quan began experiencing facial swelling, reduced urination, rapid weight gain up to 55 kg, and overall body swelling. His family brought him from Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City for a medical examination. Upon arriving at Tan Son Nhat airport, Quan suffered from headaches and difficulty breathing, requiring emergency treatment at Tam Anh General Hospital.

On April 17th, Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Hien of the Department of Pediatrics explained that Quan presented with rapid breathing, body edema, gross hematuria (blood in the urine), and high blood pressure. The doctor identified pleural effusion (fluid buildup between the lungs and chest wall), diffuse interstitial lung damage (damage to the small air sacs in the lungs), and a urine test revealed hematuria (blood in the urine) and nephrotic-range proteinuria (high levels of protein in the urine). Quan was diagnosed with acute glomerulonephritis following a streptococcal infection.

Glomerulonephritis is a condition where the kidneys struggle to filter waste and fluid from the body due to damage to the glomeruli. In Quan’s case, the disease was not identified early on