Correct understanding of nephrotic syndrome in children

Posted by Associate Professor, Doctor, Doctor Huynh Thoai Loan - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology, Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital

Nephrotic syndrome is the most common glomerular disease in children. The disease is characterized by changes caused by excessive loss of protein in the urine, leading to disorders such as edema and renal failure.

Nephrotic syndrome in children is a disease that occurs when a large amount of protein (albumin) is lost in the urine, causing a decrease in protein in the blood. Protein plays an important role in water retention in the blood vessels. When the amount of protein in the baby's blood is low enough, water will escape into the interstitial tissues, causing edema. Children with nephrotic syndrome may experience swelling in different parts of the body, such as the eyes, abdomen, lower extremities, and scrotum.
Children's nephrotic syndrome usually appears between the ages of 2 and 5. If not detected and treated in time, the disease can cause many impacts on the health and development of children.

Nephrotic syndrome in children is a common disease today. The actual cause of this disease is still unknown. Some theories suggest that children with nephrotic syndrome may be related to the immune system.
Nephrotic syndrome in children is not contagious from person to person and genetic factors are still being studied further.

Nephrotic syndrome in children with vague symptoms at first such as mild eyelid edema in the morning. If the disease is in its early stages, the symptoms may go away on their own. Currently, nephrotic syndrome in children is often missed or misdiagnosed with other diseases when examined by doctors who are not pediatric nephrologists, leading to untimely treatment and incorrect regimens. The majority of children with nephrotic syndrome are benign, with a good prognosis if diagnosed early and treated promptly with the right regimen. Subclinical tests showed that the patient's condition had decreased protein in the blood, increased blood lipids, and increased proteinuria.
In case of late detection, severe progression of the disease can lead to dangerous complications such as: kidney failure, acute pulmonary edema, sepsis, chronic kidney failure.

The treatment of nephrotic syndrome in children needs to be strictly adhered to because the time it takes for the disease to stabilize is relatively long, sometimes weeks or even months, in some special cases, several years.
When correctly diagnosing nephrotic condition in children, doctors will provide a specific treatment plan. In which, the prescription of steroid drugs for treatment is the first and most common priority. Prednisolone and Prednisone are the two main drugs of the treatment of nephrotic syndrome in children and can be used for a long time, but must be strictly adhered to according to the treatment orders of a pediatric nephrologist.
According to statistics, up to 80% of children will improve their condition after applying this treatment method. For children with more severe nephrotic syndrome, who present with extensive generalized edema, the doctor may consider other specific treatments to reduce edema (albumin infusion, combined diuretics). The treatment of albumin infusion needs to be indicated very closely and closely monitored in a hospital setting because it can lead to some life-threatening complications such as acute pulmonary edema, acute renal failure.
One thing to note is that nephrotic syndrome in children is easy to relapse. During treatment, children may also experience side effects due to prolonged use of toxic drugs (prednisolone, immunosuppressive drugs) so they should be diagnosed early, closely monitored and managed by a doctor. Experienced pediatric nephrologist.
Especially during the Covid outbreak, nephrotic syndrome in children is prone to complications of superinfection due to weakened immunity. Therefore, there is a great need for an absolutely safe treatment environment and convenient high-class services. At Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital, besides modern equipment of international standards, there is also a long-time pediatric nephrologist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Huynh Thoai Loan - Head of Pediatrics - Neonatology Department - Vinmec Central Park International Hospital is a person who has more than 30 years of experience in treating pediatric kidney diseases in children, especially syndrome cases. complicated, refractory nephrotic syndrome or recurrent nephrotic syndrome. With a safe, high-class service environment that has been certified by JCI and experienced experts, Vinmec is ready to receive all answers to questions as well as cases that need to be examined and consulted about nephrotic syndrome. in children.