Symptoms and Signs
Initial symptoms in Goodpasture syndrome may be mild but could progress to severe lung and kidney disease.
The clinical features of a patient suffering from Goodpasture syndrome are:
- Flu-like malaise
- Urine test shows small amounts of blood and protein in the urine
- Lung symptoms include cough, mild shortness of breath and coughing up of blood
- The skin appears pale due to anemia
- Symptoms due to kidney disease include swelling up of the dependent parts of the body due to accumulation of fluid, and increase in blood pressure. The patient may progress from acute kidney failure to chronic kidney failure and require dialysis or a kidney transplant.
- Some patients in addition suffer from arthritis, inflammation of nerves, eyes or blood vessels of the skin.
Goodpasture syndrome should be differentiated from other conditions like
- Autoimmune diseases like systemic vasculitis, Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis, polyarteritis nodosa and systemic lupus erythematosus.
- Infections affecting the kidneys and lungs.
- Other causes of coughing up blood like atrioventricular fistula, left ventricular failure, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension, reduced platelets, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, systemic lupus erythematosus, trauma and aortic aneurysm.
Differentiation is possible by using appropriate diagnostic tests.
Reference:
- Laura Bergs. Goodpasture Syndrome. Crit Care Nurse 2005;25:50-58
