With the development of society, people's work and life pressures are also increasing. Furthermore, many young people suffer from kidney disease. Nephrotic syndrome has also become a common kidney disease, and many patients with nephrotic syndrome delay treatment because they do not understand the symptoms of nephrotic syndrome. So what are the symptoms of nephrotic syndrome? Let's take a look at the symptoms of nephrotic syndrome together.
The main symptoms of nephrotic syndrome are:
1. Massive proteinuria: Massive proteinuria is a hallmark of nephrotic syndrome. The glomerular filtration rate, plasma protein concentration, and protein intake directly affect the degree of proteinuria. When the glomerular filtration rate decreases, proteinuria will decrease; When severe hypoproteinemia occurs, urinary protein excretion can increase. A high protein diet can lead to an increase in urinary protein excretion. Therefore, using daily protein quantification alone cannot accurately determine the degree of urinary protein, and further measurements such as albumin clearance rate and urinary protein/creatinine (>3.5 is often proteinuria within the scope of kidney disease) can be performed.
2. Edema: The most noticeable symptom of the patient is gradually worsening systemic edema, with edema visible in the eyelids, face, and ankles at the beginning of the morning; As the condition progresses, edema affects the whole body, and there may be pleural effusion, ascites, pericardial effusion, mediastinal effusion, scrotal or labial edema, as well as pulmonary edema. In severe cases, the eyes cannot be opened, the head and neck become thicker, and the skin may appear waxy pale. In addition, the presence of chest and ascites results in obvious breathing difficulties, and one cannot lie flat but can only sit upright. If there is skin damage, the fluid inside the tissue overflows and is difficult to stop.
3. Hypoalbuminemia: It is an essential second characteristic of nephrotic syndrome. Serum albumin is below 30g/L. In nephrotic syndrome, the synthesis of white protein in the liver increases. When sufficient protein and heat are given in the diet, the liver of the patient synthesizes about 22.6g of albumin per day, which is significantly higher than that of the normal person at 15.6g per day. Hypoalbuminemia occurs when the compensatory effect of albumin synthesis by the liver is insufficient to compensate for the loss of urine protein. There is an inconsistency between hypoproteinemia and urinary protein excretion.
4. Hyperlipidemia: The total cholesterol and triglycerides in this disease are significantly increased, while the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDH) and extremely low-density lipoprotein (VLDH) are increased. Hyperlipidemia is associated with hypoalbuminemia, and LDL/HLDL only increases when serum albumin is below 10-20g/L. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) was normal or decreased. The increase in LDL/HDL ratio increases the risk of developing atherosclerotic comorbidities, and hyperlipidemia is associated with thrombosis and progressive glomerulosclerosis.