Childhood nephrotic syndrome is a set of allied symptoms rather than a stand alone disease but it can lead to the occurrence of a range of other ailments. In this syndrome, the kidney’s microscopic filtering units are damaged resulting in the deficiency of proteins in the human body and this eventually leads to nephrotic syndrome.

The glomeruli or those small units in the kidney cleanse the blood and also aid in producing urine in the body. It also stops the loss of protein through the urine. When this syndrome strikes, the glomeruli starts leaking the protein in excess of the usual amount.

As the affected child starts losing protein on a daily basis, the blood records low protein levels. This results in water and salt accumulating eventually causing swelling of tissue. As a matter of fact, it can happen to people from all age groups but children are the most vulnerable lot, typically the children between 2 to 8 years. On an average, 1 in every 5000 people fall prey to this syndrome.

Childhood Nephrotic Syndrome Causes

One major cause of Childhood nephrotic syndrome is Minimal change disease. Its exact cause still remains unknown. Another cause is congenital nephrosis, which is an inborn kidney disorder observed in little babies. Diseases like Diabetes and Hepatitis B may also lead to this syndrome in a child. Hypertension or raised blood pressure can also be the culprit in some cases.

Childhood Nephrotic Syndrome Symptoms

Childhood nephrotic syndrome can be identified by the swelling of the eye tissues and abdominal and leg tissues. Excess fluid in the body leads to this puffiness. Low level of protein in the blood is the vital symptom. In an affected child, the levels of cholesterol also shoot up. The children also tend to gain weight and pass lesser amount of urine than normal. The affected child can complain of a continual fatigue. He may also suffer from the risk of forming thrombosis or blood clotting.

Treatments for Childhood Nephrotic Syndrome

The treatment for Childhood nephrotic syndrome depends on the type of the root disease. Children developing this syndrome after suffering from Minimal change disease generally show signs of improvement quickly. Even though the recovery is a long term process, the chances of permanent kidney damage is largely eliminated.

To combat the swelling of the tissues the affected child’s consumption of salt and fluid can be minimized. Some diuretic drugs can also be applied to make the kidney generate more urine. In some cases, medicines like ACE inhibitors are administered to stop protein loss. In some particular cases, the steroids may fail to work and medication to control the immune system can be prescribed by the doctors.

For achieving the best results in treatment, a proper diet also needs to be followed. The afflicted child’s diet should not contain too much sodium. Table salt, canned soups, tinned meats, sauces, salads etc should be avoided. The child should also be made to eat reasonable amount of foods high in animal protein. These may include poultry, fish and meat.

The consumption of the vegetable and fruits also needs to be increased. Foods those are rich in saturated fats like cheese, butter, red meat, fried foods etc should be cut out from the menu. Instead of these, the unsaturated fat intake should be increased. The sources of unsaturated fats include canola oil, olive oil, avocado, fish and nuts.

Prevention

It should be noted though the disorder is not fatal if diagnosed timely; it can affect the children severely in some instances. Problems of blood clotting or thrombosis may plague some victims and the children may develop infections unexpectedly. In some unfortunate circumstances, the failure of kidney may occur and if that happens the victim will require renal dialysis and in some extreme cases, a transplant.

Even though most of the afflicted children recover quickly, some of them may face recurring incidents of the disorder. This is more so if the child suffers from some viral infection. Luckily, these relapses do not happen in adulthood.

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