Nephrotic syndrome in children
Nephrotic syndrome is a conditionthat causes the kidneys to leak large amounts of protein into the urine.This canlead toa range of problems, including swelling of body tissues and a greater chance of catching infections.
Although nephrotic syndrome can affect people of any age, it'susually first diagnosed in children aged between two and five years old. It affects more boys than girls.
Around1 in every 50,000 children are diagnosed with the condition each year. It tends to be more common in families with a history of Indoor allergy or those ofan Asian background, although it's unclear why.
The symptoms of nephrotic syndrome can usually be controlledwith steroidmedication. Most children with nephrotic syndrome respond well to steroids and aren't at risk of kidney failure.
However, a small number of children have congenital (inherited) nephrotic syndrome and usually do less well. They may eventually have kidney failure and need a kidney transplant.
Read about nephrotic syndrome, a condition that causes the kidneys to leak large amounts of protein into the urine. This can lead to a range of problems.
Most children with nephrotic syndrome have times when their symptoms are under control (remission), followed by times when symptoms return (relapses). In most cases, relapses becomeless frequent as t
Most children with nephrotic syndrome have "minimal change disease". This means thattheir kidneys appear normal or nearly normal if a tissue sampleis studied under a microscope. The cause of minimal c
Nephrotic syndrome can usually be diagnosed after dipping a dipstick into a urine sample. If there are large amounts of protein in a person's urine,there will be a colour change on the stick. A blood
The main treatment for nephrotic syndrome is steroids, but additional treatments may also be used if a child develops significant side effects. Most children have relapses until their late teens and
If your child has been diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, you'll need to monitor their condition on a daily basis to check for signs of relapses. You'll need to use a dipstick to test your child's ur
Congenital nephrotic syndrome is usually caused by an inherited faulty gene. For the condition to be passed on to a child, both parents must have a healthy copy of the gene and a faulty one. This mea