What is the typical time for presentation of PSGN after an infection?
The course of PIGN has been well documented for both pharyngitis and skin infections.
Typically kidney disease begins 7 to 14 days after the onset of streptococcal pharyngitis, whereas it takes about 21 days or longer for the development of glomerulonephritis after a skin infection such as impetigo.
The onset of glomerulonephritis after infection in other sites of the body also follows a course of between 2 and 4 weeks postinfection. These time patterns are critical because the infection has healed and been forgotten; only later on does the patient present with kidney disease.
A careful history and laboratory workup (described later) may help identify the cause of the kidney disease and the unrecognized existence of a preceding streptococcal infection.
During community outbreaks of group A beta hemolytic streptococcal infection, the incidence of PSGN ranges between 5% and 10% for upper respiratory infections to 15% to 25% for skin infections.
