Good Pasture Syndrome: What You May Not Know

Ever seen someone coughing up blood, or heard a friend complaining about always

having blood in his or her urine? It could be Good Pasture Syndrome. Goodpasture Syndrome, named after a man called Ernest Good Pasture in 1919, is a disease which is commonly seen prevalent in white populations, in comparison to their black counterparts. The incidence of Goodpasture syndrome is approximately 0.5 to 1.8 million cases per year, especially high in European and Asian populations. Good Pasture Syndrome is also responsible for 1 -5% of all kinds of glomerulonephritis.

In this short article, I will open your eyes to many things concerning this disorder,

its causes, symptoms, diagnosis and, of course how to fight it.

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Written By: Chisom Joshua

March 23rd, 2023

What is good pasture syndrome?

Goodpasture syndrome, which can also be referred to as anti-glomerular basement

disease, is a rare autoimmune disease where the immune system produces antibodies that attack the basement membranes of the lungs and kidneys, and therfore causing inflammation of the kidney (hematuria) and bleeding of the lungs (hemoptysis). This disease is often noticed in people between the ages of 20-30 and 60-70.

What causes Good Pasture Syndrome?

There’s no sure evidence as to what exactly causes Good Pasture Syndrome, but it

may develop as the result of a combination of some environmental and genetic factors.

Environmental factors that can cause this disorder includes;

1. High exposure to certain chemicals, such as solvents that contain

hydrocarbons.

2. Exposure to metallic dust.

3. Excessive use of hard drugs such as cocaine.

4. Excessive smoking of tobacco.

5. Viral infections could lead to Good Pasture Syndrome.

At the same time, it is important to note that at the genetic level, there’s a sure evidence that patients with certain types of human white blood cells antigen are more susceptible to this disease.

What are the symptoms of Good Pasture Syndrome?

The fact that most diseases share similar symptoms sometimes makes it difficult to

detect infirmities just by their manifestations, especially one as rare as Good Pasture

Syndrome. However, these symptoms are mostly prevalent in people suffering

from the disease;

1. Coughing up blood.

2. Chest pain.

3. Blood in the urine.

4. Nausea and vomiting.

5. Nose bleeding.

6. Pale skin.

How do you diagnose Good Pasture Syndrome?

There are actually no ways to say for sure that someone is suffering from

Good Pasture without having to run some tests. A health provider who is presented

with a disease that he or she suspects to be Good Pasture should carry out a procedure, asking you about your symptoms before running some tests. These

tests include;

1. Blood test: This particular test is done to look for circulating antibodies in

the blood and also to check if the kidney is performing its functions well.

2.Urine tests: The patient's urine should be examined to check if the urine

contains protein, red or white blood cells.

3. Kidney biopsy: Here tissue samples are removed and checked under a

microscope. This is done to examine if there are antibodies in the kidney.

4. Chest X-ray: This test is used to check if there are damages in the lungs.

How can Good Pasture Syndrome be treated?

Treatment for someone suffering from Good Pasture can be administered depending

on the severity of the patient’s condition as the disease can either be mild or

severe. For mild treatment, clinicians should use corticosteroids such as prednisone to stop

bleeding in the lungs. Immunosuppressant drugs such as cyclophosphamide are

used to prevent the immune system from attacking the body’s own tissues.

For severe cases of Good Pasture Syndrome, a procedure called plamapheresis is

used. This is a procedure where the patient’s blood is filtered out through a vein in

your arm, and the plasma which is the liquid part of the blood is separated from the

blood cells. This plasma which contains the harmful antibodies is replaced with

healthy one from blood donors, and then returned to the patient’s body.

Conclusion

Essentially, Good Pasture Syndrome is a severe disease caused by the formation of

antibodies that attack the glomerular basement membrane and alveolus, therefore

affecting the lungs and the kidney. With recent advancement in therapy, long

term survival of the disease is now more than 50%. Good Pasture Syndrome is a

life-threatening disease and requires that you visit a hospital once you notice

any signs of it.

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Works Cited:

-John Hopkins Medicine (n.d). Goodpasture Syndrome

-Cleveland Clinic (n.d). Goodpasture syndrome (Anti-GBM Disease)

-DeVrieze BW, Hurley JA (2022). Goodpasture Syndrome

-WebMD. Rick Ansorge(2010). Goodpasture syndrome--

-https://www.wikilectures.eu/w/Goodpasture_Syndrome