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| Nephrotic Syndrome |
Recommendations for primary care clinicians regarding the diagnosis and treatment of nephrotic syndrome in adults are reviewed in the November 15 issue of the American Family Physician.
"In nephrotic syndrome, a variety of disorders cause proteinuria, often resulting in marked edema and hypoalbuminemia," write Charles Kodner, MD, from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky. "Hyperlipidemia is a common associated finding. Family physicians may encounter persons with nephrotic syndrome from primary (idiopathic) renal disease or a number of secondary causes, and should initiate appropriate diagnostic workup and medical management pending specialist consultation."
Nephrotic syndrome may be classified as primary (or idiopathic) renal disease, or it may be secondary to various causes. The most common primary causes in adults are focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and membranous nephropathy.
