Nephrotic syndrome causes your kidneys to release too much protein into your pee. Kidney diseases are the main cause. They damage the tiny blood vessels that keep proteins in your blood. Common signs and symptoms include swelling, feeling sick and foamy pee. Treatment includes lifestyle changes and medications to treat the cause.
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Nephrotic syndrome is a condition that makes your kidneys release too much protein in your pee. Each year in the U.S., it affects about 1 in 50,000 children and 3 in 100,000 adults. Providers sometimes call childhood nephrotic syndrome “nephrosis.”
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
Nephrotic syndrome (nuh-FROT-ick SIN-drohm) usually results from kidney diseases that damage your glomeruli. Glomeruli are tiny blood vessels in your kidneys. Healthy glomeruli help filter waste products and excess fluids from your blood. They send them to your bladder, where they eventually leave your body as pee. Glomeruli also allow your blood to keep the cells and proteins your body needs to function regularly.
Some people have nephrotic syndrome at birth (congenital nephrotic syndrome). That means their biological parents passed the disease down to them. Others develop kidney diseases that cause nephrotic syndrome at some point during their life.
Damaged glomeruli allow blood proteins to leak into your pee. These include albumin — a protein in your blood plasma. If you have nephrotic syndrome, damaged glomeruli allow 3 or more grams (g) of protein to leak into your pee over 24 hours. That’s 20 times the amount of protein that healthy glomeruli allow into pee.
Nephrotic syndrome is a serious condition. Without treatment, other health issues can arise. These complications can be fatal.
If you have nephrotic syndrome, losing different proteins can cause various problems.
For example, some proteins help prevent blood clots. When you lose those proteins, blood clots can form.
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Immunoglobulins are proteins that help your immune system fight diseases and infections. When you lose immunoglobulins, you’re at a greater risk of general infections that affect different body systems. These infections may include:
Common nephrotic syndrome symptoms include:
Signs that your healthcare provider may find include:
Nephrotic syndrome can also cause you to lose vitamins and minerals that are important for growth and development. These include calcium and vitamin D. Children with nephrotic syndrome may not grow as expected. Loss of bone mass (osteopenia or osteoporosis) may develop. Osteoporosis can also weaken your hair and nails.
Damaged glomeruli are the main cause of nephrotic syndrome. Kidney diseases often damage your glomeruli. Experts aren’t sure why some of these diseases affect the tiny filters.
These diseases may include:
Minimal change disease (MCD) may also cause nephrotic syndrome. MCD is a type of nephropathy, which means your kidney isn’t working properly. But testing shows little or no damage to your glomeruli or kidney tissue. MCD is most common in children.
Nephrotic syndrome can affect anyone. But it’s most common in people who have:
You’re also at an increased risk if you take certain medications that can damage your kidneys. These include NSAIDs and certain antibiotics.
Common nephrotic syndrome complications may include:
Without treatment, you’re at a high risk of sudden kidney failure. Kidney failure is when your kidneys stop working. You can’t recover from end-stage kidney failure. It’s fatal without dialysis or a kidney transplant.
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Your healthcare provider may recommend one or more of the following to help diagnose nephrotic syndrome:
Nephrotic syndrome isn’t curable. It often goes away in children once they reach their late teenage years or early 20s. Nephrotic syndrome treatment usually includes medications and lifestyle changes. These help relieve symptoms and prevent further kidney damage. Treatment may include:
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Your provider may recommend getting yearly flu and pneumococcal vaccines to prevent infections like pneumonia, meningitis and ear infections.
In some cases, your provider may recommend blood thinners. These medications don’t prevent nephrotic syndrome or any of its symptoms. But if you have nephrotic syndrome, you may need to take blood thinners if you develop a blood clot. You may also take them to help prevent a blood clot.
It depends on what causes nephrotic syndrome. Some people may start to feel better a few days after treatment. It may take others a few weeks or even months. Your healthcare provider will give you a better idea of what to expect.
Contact your healthcare provider as soon as you notice any kidney symptoms that last longer than a few days, especially if your pee is foamy.
During your appointment, you may wish to ask:
If your child has nephrotic syndrome, consider asking if it will go away as they get older.
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With proper diagnosis and treatment, the outlook for most people is good. Many respond well to treatment. Nephrotic syndrome often goes into remission. That means there are no signs or symptoms of the condition.
If your child has nephrotic syndrome, it often goes away by their early adult years.
With proper diagnosis and treatment, most people can expect an average lifespan. Without treatment or in severe cases, you have a greater risk of developing complications like kidney failure, which may be fatal. Your healthcare provider will give you a better idea of what to expect according to different factors, including:
The best way to manage your symptoms is to take your medications as prescribed by your healthcare provider. It’s also a good idea to eat foods with appropriate amounts of potassium and protein. But they should have low amounts of sodium, saturated fat and cholesterol.
What you eat and drink won’t cause or prevent nephrotic syndrome in adults. But if you have this condition, some changes may help ease some of your symptoms.
You can help reduce swelling by limiting the amount of sodium you take in. Most sodium that you eat comes from salt. You can also help reduce swelling by drinking more fluids. Drinking more fluids helps flush extra sodium from your kidneys.
Cutting back on saturated fat and cholesterol can help. It’s a good idea to limit foods like:
A nephrotic syndrome diagnosis can have a big impact on you. Finding out that something is affecting your kidneys can be a shock, and the risk of complications can be scary. It may also take a little while to adjust to your treatments. Learning as much as you can about nephrotic syndrome can help center your thoughts as you adjust. If you have questions, talk to your healthcare providers. They can answer any of your questions and offer support.
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Cleveland Clinic’s health articles are based on evidence-backed information and review by medical professionals to ensure accuracy, reliability and up-to-date clinical standards.
Cleveland Clinic’s health articles are based on evidence-backed information and review by medical professionals to ensure accuracy, reliability and up-to-date clinical standards.
If you have a condition that’s affecting your kidneys, you want experts by your side. At Cleveland Clinic, we’ll work with you to craft a personalized treatment plan.
