Nephrotic Syndrome Flashcards
What is nephrotic syndrome?
A kidney disorder that causes your body to pass too much protein in your urine.
What is nephrotic syndrome usually caused by?
Damage to the clusters of small blood vessels in your kidneys that filter waste and excess water from your blood.
How does nephrotic syndrome typically present?
Swollen ankles
How can nephrotic syndrome lead to swollen ankles?
The low level of protein (albumin) in the blood reduces the flow of water from body tissues back into the blood vessels, leading to oedema.
How can nephrotic syndrome lead to infections?
Antibodies are lost
What part of the kidney is essential for filtration?
Glomerular filtration barrier
What are the clinical signs of nephrotic syndrome?
- Proteinuria
- Hypoalbuminaemia (low blood albumin levels)
- Oedema
- Hypercholesterolaemia
What are the common causes of nephrotic syndrome?
- Minimal change disease (children)
- Membranous nephropathy
- Focal segmental
- Glomerulosclerosis
- Diabetes
- Amyloid
What is minimal change disease?
A kidney disease in which large amounts of protein is lost in the urine. It is one of the most common causes of the Nephrotic Syndrome.
What is membranous nephropathy?
A kidney disease that affects the filters (glomeruli) of the kidney and can cause protein in the urine, as well as decreased kidney function and swelling. It can sometimes be called membranous glomerulopathy
What is focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS)?
A type of glomerular disease and describes scarring (sclerosis) in your kidney. The scarring of FSGS only takes place in small sections of each glomerulus (filter), and only a limited number of glomeruli are damaged at first.
