Treatment of the nephrotic syndrome associated with primary glomerulonephritis

The term nephrotic syndrome (NS) refers to a condition characterized by heavy proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, edema and hyperlipidemia. The NS is often seen when the urinary protein excretion exceeds 3.5 g/day and is almost invariably present when proteinuria is greater than 5 g/day. In the NS there may be a constellation of biochemical and clinical abnormalities that can predispose to disabling and even fatal complications, such as infections, bone disease, arterial or venous thrombosis, cardiovascular disease, etc. In addition, the onset of NS is a marker for bad outcome for most glomerular diseases.The NS may be caused by a large variety of renal diseases. In this paper, however, we will limit ourselves to reviewing the treatment for those cases of NS associated with primary glomerulonephritis