What is Nephrotic Syndrome?

About Nephrotic Syndrome:

• It is a kidney disorder that causes your body to pass too much protein in your urine.
• It usually results from a problem with your kidneys’ filters (glomeruli).
  • The kidneys remove waste and excess fluid from your blood through filtering units called nephrons.
  • Each nephron contains a filter (glomerulus), which removes waste and excess fluids from your blood and send them to your bladder as urine.
  • Common waste products include nitrogen waste (urea), muscle waste (creatinine), and acids.
  • In healthy kidneys, the glomeruli filter out waste products.
  • They allow your blood to retain the cells and proteins your body needs to function regularly.
  • Nephrotic syndrome usually happens when the glomeruli are inflamed, allowing too much protein to leak from your blood into your urine.
• Causes:
  • It is not a specific kidney disease.
  • It can occur in any kidney disease that damages the filtering units in a certain way that allows them to leak protein into the urine.
  • Some of the diseases that cause nephrotic syndrome, such as nephritis, affect only the kidney.
  • Other diseases that cause nephrotic syndrome, such as diabetes and lupus, affect other parts of the body as well.
• Symptoms: Signs and symptoms of nephrotic syndrome include:
  • Severe swelling (edema), particularly around your eyes and in your ankles and feet
  • Foamy urine, a result of excess protein in your urine
  • High fat and cholesterol levels in the blood. The medical term for it is “hyperlipidemia.”
  • Weight gain due to fluid retention
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of appetite
• Nephrotic syndrome can lead to serious complications, including
  • blood clots that can lead to thrombosis 
  • higher risk of infection caused by the loss of immunoglobulins, proteins in your blood that help fight viruses and bacteria
  • high blood pressure, also called hypertension
  • brief or long-lasting kidney problems, including chronic kidney disease and kidney failure
• Treatment: It includes addressing the underlying cause and taking steps to reduce high blood pressure, high cholesterol, swelling and infection risks. Treatment usually includes medications and changes to your diet.