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Minimal change disease - Symptom

Alternative Names

Minimal change nephrotic syndrome; Nil disease; Lipoid nephrosis; Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome of childhood

Symptoms:

There may be symptoms of nephrotic syndrome:

  • Foamy appearance of the urine
  • Poor appetite
  • Swelling (especially around the eyes, feet, and ankles, and in the abdomen)
  • Weight gain (from fluid retention)

Minimal change disease does not reduce the amount of urine produced. It rarely progresses to kidney failure.

Signs and tests:

The doctor may not be able to see any obvious outward signs of the disease, other than swelling. Blood and urine tests reveal signs typical of nephrotic syndrome, including:

  • High cholesterol
  • High levels of protein in the urine
  • Low levels of albumin in the blood

A kidney biopsy and examination of the tissue with an electron microscope can show signs of minimal change disease. An immunofluorescence exam of the biopsied kidney tissue is negative.

  • Reviewed last on: 11/30/2009
  • David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Herbert Y. Lin, MD, PHD, Nephrologist, Massachusetts General Hospital; Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Appel GB. Glomerular disorders and nephrotic syndromes. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 122.

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