Nephrotic Syndrome

QUESTION: I am seeking the meaning of a disease called "nephrotic syndrome".
Where does it come from, and what will the future hold for the person who has
this illness? The physician's answers to our questions have been most
confusing, and we are turning to you in the hopes you can straighten this out
for us. I know you will try.
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ANSWER: To begin with the "straightening" process, I must define the word
"syndrome" for you. A syndrome is not actually a disease or illness, but
rather a term applied to a group of symptoms or signs that often appear
together. For purposes of this discussion a symptom is something the patient
experiences or feels subjectively, something unusual or abnormal that they can
report to the physician. Pain is symptom, suffered by the patient but
undetectable during the physician's examination. A "sign" may be observed by
the doctor, it is an objective finding. Fever is a sign, for it can be
measured using a thermometer, and can easily be compared with a normal
temperature.
The "nephrotic syndrome" is composed of the following signs and symptoms:
swelling around the eyes feet and abdomen, large amounts of protein found in
tests of the urine, and increased weight from fluid retained in the body (all
of these are signs), as well as loss of appetite (a symptom). The nephrotic
syndrome may be observed in a number of different diseases. They include
diabetes, multiple myeloma, glomerulonephritis as well as systemic lupus
erythematosus. It can result from an infection, exposure to certain drugs and
toxins, malignancy, or even be the result of an inherited disorder. The
common element in all of these is damage to the glomerulus, a basic structural
element of the kidney. The damage affects the ability of the glomerulus to
retain proteins, so they spill out and are found in the urinary tests.
Because there are so many possibilities, I can't answer your question
completely. When infection is the cause, antibiotics can cure the situation.
When the reason for the syndrome is the use of a drug and the offending drug
is stopped, the syndrome may disappear. The treatment thus depends upon the
cause, and the outcome depends upon the success of the treatment. Now that
you understand the terminology, perhaps your own physician's explanation may
make more sense to you.