Q:
My son is 5 1/2 years old and was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome when he was 2 years old. Since my son's diagnosis he has relapsed at least once a year and when on the Prednisone his mood swings and behavior are really unpredictable and he can be very angry, aggressive and quite violent. Has anyone else had similar condition as my son’s? What is a better solution to reduce side effects of prednisone?
A:
Nephrotic Syndrome describes a series of clinical syndrome---proteinuria, swelling and hyperlipidemia which are caused by damage on glomerular filtering cells. Nephrotic syndrome can occur in many different types of kidney disorders, such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE),
Diabetic Nephropathy,
FSGS, Minimal Change Disease, etc. Immunosuppressant treatment is commonly applied on treatment of Nephrotic Syndrome.
Immunosuppressive medicines, such as prednisone, play essential roles in the treatment of NS. The medicines will remit inflammation responses thus helping to control proteinuria. Adhering to immunosuppressive medicine dose prescribed by doctors based on individualized condition is essential in stabilizing the illness condition and avoiding relapse of NS. If the general condition stabilized, the doctors may reduce the dose gradually. Prednisone, a commonly used immunosuppressive drug, can cause many known side effects, such as moon face, increased appetite, body swelling up, mental changes, etc. Usually, after illness condition is well controlled and the hormones are stopped, the side effects can get remissions.
In many cases the patients relapse. Reducing dose of medicines without permission from doctors may cause the recurrence. In addition, the immunosuppressant reduces immunity and increase risks of infections. The disease recurs when infections happen. Improper daily nursing care also increase relapse rate. Each time a relapse occurs, the kidney condition will get worsened. Frequent recurrences will make the disease develop into chronic kidney failure. Hormone treatment joined with traditional Chinese medicine treatment will be better than single use of hormones. Hormones will slow down inflammations, while Chinese medicines can reduce side effects of hormones, enhance immunity and stop worsening of kidney condition caused by frequent recurrence. In this way, the illness condition can be stabilized and dangers of relapses and further kidney damage can be eliminated.
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