ephrotic syndrome is a condition marked by very high levels of
protein in the urine (proteinuria); low levels of protein in the
blood; swelling, especially around the eyes, feet, and hands; and
high cholesterol. Nephrotic syndrome results from damage to the
kidneys' glomeruli (the singular form is glomerulus).
Glomeruli are tiny blood vessels that filter waste and excess water
from the blood and send them to the bladder as urine.
Nephrotic syndrome can occur with many diseases, including the kidney diseases caused by diabetes mellitus, but some causes are unknown. Prevention of nephrotic syndrome relies on controlling these diseases.
Treatment of nephrotic syndrome focuses on identifying the underlying
cause if possible and reducing high cholesterol, blood pressure,
and protein in urine through diet, medications, or both. One group
of blood pressure medications called ACE inhibitors also protects
the kidneys by reducing proteinuria.
Nephrotic syndrome may go away once the underlying cause, if known,
has been treated. In children, 80 percent of cases of nephrotic
syndrome are caused by minimal change disease, which can be successfully
treated with prednisone. However, in adults, most of the time the
underlying cause is a kidney disease such as membranous nephropathy
or focal segmental glomerulonephritis, and these diseases often
persist even with treatment. In these cases, the kidneys may gradually
lose their ability to filter wastes and excess water from the blood.
If kidney failure occurs, the patient will need dialysis or a kidney
transplant.
More Information
American Kidney Fund
6110 Executive Boulevard
Suite 1010
Rockville, MD 20852
Phone: 1-800-638-8299 or (301) 881-3052
Email: helpline@akfinc.org
Internet: www.kidneyfund.org
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Health Information Center
P.O. Box 30105
Bethesda, MD 20824-0105
Phone: (301) 592-8573
Email: nhlbiinfo@rover.nhlbi.nih.gov
Internet: www.nhlbi.nih.gov
National Kidney Foundation
30 East 33rd Street
New York, NY 10016
Phone: 1-800-622-9010 or (212) 889-2210
Email: info@kidney.org
Internet: www.kidney.org
[Top]
Additional Information on Nephrotic Syndrome
The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse collects resource information on kidney and urologic diseases for the Combined Health Information Database (CHID). CHID is a database produced by health-related agencies of the Federal Government. This database provides titles, abstracts, and availability information for health information and health education resources.
To provide you with the most up-to-date resources, information
specialists at the clearinghouse created an automatic search of
CHID. To obtain this information, you may view
the results of the automatic on search Nephrotic Syndrome.
If you wish to perform your own search of the database, you may
access the CHID Online website and search
CHID yourself.
From the
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse,
a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health
NIH Publication No. 03-4624
August 2003
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/nephrotic/
Also see:
diabetes and kidney disease
high blood pressure
high blood pressure and kidney disease
keep your kidneys healthy
kidney failure - choosing a treatment
kidney problems
proteinuria
your kidneys and how they work
