Minimal Change Disease /Nephrotic Syndrome Treatment

Minimal change disease is a subtype of nephrotic syndrome. It more commonly occurs among children than adults.What is the treatment for minimal change disease in nephrotic syndrome?

Minimal change disease in Nephrotic Syndrome

The kidney’s filtering membrane is constructed like a sieve that allows molecular waste products pass though the blood but retains large molecular useful substances in body like protein. However,in Nephrotic Syndrome,the membrane is damaged.As a result,a large amount of proteins leak from blood into urine. Minimal change disease gets its name because this damage is not visible under a regular microscope.It can only be seen under an electron microscope.It is the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in children, accounting for 80% of the cases.

Treatment for minimal change disease in nephrotic syndrome

Minimal change disease in children is not a difficult disease to manage.Corticosteroids can cure minimal change disease in most children.Some patients may need to stay on steroids to keep the disease in remission.

However,adults do not respond to steroids as well as children. They may experience frequent relapses of the condition and become dependent on steroids. If so, the patients may do better with cytotoxic therapy instead of steroids. Additionally, some medications like ACE inhibitor medicines, water pills etc are commonly used to control the symptoms of minimal change disease in nephrotic syndrome.However,if the patients do not respond well to the conventional treatments,they have to have an alternative treatment.

Alternative treatment for minimal change disease in nephrotic syndrome

Immunotherapy is recommended to treat minimal change disease in nephrotic syndrome.Firstly,it can suppress the inflammatory response in kidneys to stop further renal function deterioration fundamentally.Secondly,it can activate the self-healing system of the body to stimulate the self-repairing of the impaired glomeruli.When kidney structure is repaired, protein leakage will be controlled fundamentally. Minimal change disease will be treated effectively and fundamentally.