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Nephrotic syndrome
Make it clearer
Nephrotic syndrome is not a disease with a name of its own; it is a group of signs that show up together and warn that the kidneys are not working well. Among them: too much protein in the urine, too little albumin in the blood, its most abundant protein, swelling in parts of the body, and high cholesterol.
Behind it there is usually a leak. The glomeruli are the kidney's filters, and in nephrotic syndrome they are usually inflamed, that is, irritated and swollen, and they let far more protein escape from the blood into the urine than they should. It is like a strainer that breaks: what was supposed to stay in the pot ends up in the sink.
And the underlying cause can be very different from one person to the next: many disorders produce this syndrome, some that attack only the kidney and others that affect many parts of the body, such as diabetes and lupus.
In brief
Nephrotic syndrome is a group of symptoms that signal the kidneys are not working well: too much protein in the urine, low albumin in the blood, swelling, and high cholesterol.
It usually happens when the glomeruli are inflamed and let too much protein leak from the blood into the urine.
Many disorders can cause it, both diseases that affect only the kidney and diseases that affect many parts of the body, such as diabetes and lupus.
Sources (2)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesNephrotic Syndrome in Adults
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesGlomerular Disease
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated