The asthenia and impairment of the spleen and kidney are crucial for the occurrence and development of chronic nephritis. Deficiency of the spleen qi causes the accumulation of water and dampness; yang deficiency of the spleen and kidney results in excessive water and dampness; the patients with qi deficiency of the lung and kidney are susceptible to attack by exogenous pathogenic factors. At the late stage of the disease, impaired qi and blood, yang impairment affecting yin or original deficiency of the kidney yin may cause deficiency of both qi and yin as well as nutrient blood deficiency.

These factors further result in deficiency of both yin and yang, extreme deficiency of the spleen and kidney, retention of water and excessive internal pathogenic turbidity, finally developing into the internal retention of toxic urine. The repeated attack by exogenous pathogenic factors further impairs body resistance and makes the disease lingering and worsened finally. The asthenia and impairment of the lung, spleen and kidney cause exogenous pathogenic factor to invade the body, giving rise to visceral impairment while impairment of yin, yang, qi and blood leads to the failure to regulate water, renal essence and body fluid as well as accumulation of stagnated blood in collaterals. This is the pathogenesis of chronic glomerulonephritis.