Nephrotic Syndrome

What is nephrotic syndrome?

Nephrotic syndrome is a condition that causes you to excrete excess proteins through your urine. Usually, it stems from blood vessel damage within your kidneys. Under normal circumstances, your kidneys are responsible for filtering salt, water, and waste from your blood and expelling them as urine. 

Nephrotic syndrome puts you at a higher risk of developing blood clots, certain infections, and other health complications. To treat you effectively, the team at Houston Kidney Specialists Center works hard to identify the specific cause of your nephrotic syndrome of the many possible causes, which include:

• Minimal change disease
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis
• Amyloidosis
• Membranous neuropathy

To identify any underlying conditions affecting your kidneys that cause or contribute to your nephrotic syndrome, the team at Houston Kidney Specialists Center might perform a kidney biopsy. 

What are some common symptoms of nephrotic syndrome?

Nephrotic syndrome typically causes a cluster of concerning symptoms. You should book an appointment at Houston Kidney Specialists Center if you experience one or more of these:

• Swelling in your feet and ankles
• Swelling in your face or hands
• Fatigue
• Weight gain from water retention
• Foamy urine
• Low appetite

The change in your urine quality, which might be bubbly or foamy, is due to the excess proteins in it. In some cases, you might not notice any significant difference in the way you feel with nephrotic syndrome. Your primary care physician can identify the condition with a routine blood or urine test. 

What are my treatment options for nephrotic syndrome?

To treat nephrotic syndrome, the team at Houston Kidney Specialists Center identifies and treats the underlying condition. Additionally, they might recommend treatments to reduce specific symptoms that affect your quality of life. 

Depending on the condition causing your nephrotic syndrome, they may prescribe one or more of these medications:

• Anticoagulants (blood-thinning medications)
• Diuretics
• Blood pressure medications
• Immunosuppressants
• Cholesterol-reducing medications

In addition to prescription medications, mild lifestyle changes can help you successfully manage nephrotic syndrome and its symptoms. 

Your provider at Houston Kidney Specialists Center might suggest reducing the amount of salt in your diet, choosing lean proteins for your meals, or reducing the liquid in your diet to ease your symptoms. 

Nephrotic syndrome can affect you at any age. If you experience symptoms, call Houston Kidney Specialists Center, or book an appointment online today.