Nephrotic syndrome is a kidney disorder also called proteinuria or albuminuria.

Nephrotic syndrome is usually caused by damage to the clusters of small blood vessels in kidneys that filter waste and excess water from our blood. The condition causes swelling, particularly in our feet and ankles, and increases the risk of other health problems.

Kidney cross section

The kidneys remove waste and excess fluid from our blood through nephrons. Each nephron contains a filter (glomerulus) that has a network of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. When blood flows into a glomerulus, tiny molecules — water, essential minerals and nutrients, and wastes — pass through the capillary walls. Large molecules, such as proteins and red blood cells, do not.

The filtered solution then passes into another part of the nephron called the tubule. The water, nutrients and minerals our body needs are transferred back to the bloodstream. The excess water and waste become urine that flows to the bladder.

Kidney diseases often damage our glomeruli. The diseases target our glomeruli. The main cause for nephrotic syndrome is alcoholism, artificial sweeteners, carbonated drinks of all types etc said Dr. Qaisar Ahmed MD, DHMS.

Causes

Damaged glomeruli are the primary cause of nephrotic syndrome. These diseases include:

• Amyloidosis. This is a disease in which amyloid proteins build up in our vital organs. Amyloidosis most commonly occurs in our kidneys, affecting their ability to filter.
• Diabetes-related nephropathy. “Nephropathy” means that the kidney isn’t working properly. In diabetes-related nephropathy, diabetes causes damage or dysfunction to one or more of the nerves in kidneys. It typically causes numbness, tingling, muscle weakness and pain in affected area.
• Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). In FSGS, scarring affects small areas (segments) of some of our glomeruli. It may cause swelling, kidney failure and loss of proteins in urine.
• Lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation, swelling and pain throughout our body, including our kidneys.
• Membranous nephropathy. In membranous nephropathy, our body’s immune system attacks the filtering membranes in our kidneys.
• Minimal change disease (MCD). This is a type of nephropathy in which our kidneys aren’t working properly. However, a kidney biopsy shows little or no damage to our glomeruli or kidney tissue. MCD may occur at any age, but it’s most common in children.

Symptoms of nephrotic syndrome

Common nephrotic syndrome symptoms include:

• Large amounts (greater than 3.5 grams) of the protein albumin in urine (albuminuria).
• High fat and cholesterol levels in the blood (hyperlipidemia).
• Edema usually in legs, feet and/or ankles. Swelling may also occur in hands or face.
• Low levels of albumin in the blood (hypoalbuminemia).
• Loss of appetite.
• Feeling unwell or sick.
• Abdominal pain (pain anywhere from the ribs to the pelvis).
• Foamy urine.

Another symptom of nephrotic syndrome is a loss of minerals and vitamins that are essential to our health and development, including calcium and vitamin D, this may affect patient’s growth, may develop osteoporosis, weakens hair, nails, liver diseases, skin diseases etc.

Risk factors

Factors that can increase the risk of nephrotic syndrome include:

• Medical conditions that can damage your kidneys. Certain diseases and conditions increase your risk of developing nephrotic syndrome, such as diabetes, lupus, amyloidosis, reflux nephropathy etc.
• Certain medications. allopathic medications that might cause nephrotic syndrome include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, antibiotics, chemotherapy, diuretics etc.
• Certain infections. Infections that increase the risk of nephrotic syndrome include HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and malaria.

Complications

Possible complications of nephrotic syndrome include:

• Blood clots. The inability of the glomeruli to filter blood properly can lead to loss of blood proteins that help prevent clotting. This increases the risk of developing a blood clot in veins.
• High blood cholesterol and elevated blood triglycerides. When the level of the protein albumin in the blood falls, liver makes more albumin. At the same time, liver releases more cholesterol and triglycerides.
• Poor nutrition. Loss of too much blood protein can result in malnutrition. This can lead to weight loss, which can be masked by edema. Patient may also have too few red blood cells (anemia), low blood protein levels and low levels of vitamin D.
• High blood pressure. Damage to the glomeruli and the resulting buildup of excess body fluid can raise patient’s blood pressure.
• Acute kidney injury. If kidneys lose their ability to filter blood due to damage to the glomeruli, waste products can build up quickly in the blood. If this happens, patient might need emergency dialysis.
• Chronic kidney disease. Nephrotic syndrome can cause kidneys to lose their function over time. If kidney function falls low enough, patient might need dialysis or a kidney transplant.
• People with nephrotic syndrome have an increased risk of infections.
• Cute kidney injury. Patient’s kidney suddenly stops functioning properly.
• Anemia. Having not enough healthy blood cells to carry oxygen to the organs.
• Coronary artery disease. Plaque builds up in the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
• Hypertension (high blood pressure). The blood that flows through the blood vessels travels with a greater force than usual.
• Hypothyroidism. Thyroid gland doesn’t produce and release enough of the thyroid hormone into the bloodstream.

Diagnosis

Urinalysis tests

A urinalysis (urine test) examines the visual, chemical and microscopic aspects of urine.

During a dipstick test, the dipstick will change color if there’s albumin in urine.

Urine protein tests (a single urine sample or a 24-hour collection of urine).

Albumin – creatinine ratio: albumin-to-creatinine ratio. If urine sample has more than 30 milligrams (mg) of albumin for each gram of creatinine, it may signal a problem.

In a 24-hour urine collection, doctor will give his patient a container to collect urine from home. On the day of the test, patient will:

• Pee in the toilet as usual when first wake up.
• Pee in the container the rest of the day until patient go to sleep.
• Pee in the container one last time when patient first wake up the following day.

Lab technicians will only measure the amount of albumin in patient’s sample.

Blood tests

A low level of albumin or other proteins may indicate nephrotic syndrome. Blood cholesterol and blood triglyceride levels may increase if blood albumin level is low.

Kidney biopsy

Kidney biopsy should be done under local anesthesia along with light sedative to help patient relax. Insert a needle through patient’s skin and into the kidney to collect the tissue sample.

If patient have diabetes and you suspect that patient have nephrotic syndrome, patient likely won’t need a kidney biopsy. The medical history, urine tests and blood tests are often enough to help diagnose nephrotic syndrome as a result of diabetes.

Allopathic treatment of nephrotic syndrome

Allopathically, nephrotic syndrome isn’t curable. Allopathic treatment just helps relieve patient’s nephrotic syndrome symptoms and prevents further damage to the kidneys.

Allopathic nephrotic syndrome treatment includes addressing the underlying cause and taking steps to reduce high blood pressure, high cholesterol, swelling and infection risks. Treatment usually includes medications and changes to patient’s diet.

Some allopathic blood pressure medications can slow down a kidney disease that causes nephrotic syndrome, including:

• Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.
• Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reduce blood pressure and the amount of protein released in urine. Medications in this category include lisinopril, benazepril, captopril and enalapril.

Another group of drugs that works similarly is called angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and includes losartan and valsartan. Other medications, such as renin inhibitors, also might be used, though angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are generally used first.

These medications reduce the pressure inside the glomeruli, which reduces albuminuria. Many patients require two or more medications to regulate their blood pressure.

In addition to an ACE inhibitor or an ARB, a doctor should recommend a diuretic. Diuretics help the kidneys remove fluid from the blood. Diuretics also help temporary reduce blood pressure and swelling. Other medications that help lower blood pressure include beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers. To lower cholesterol, recommend statins.

In some cases, recommend anticoagulants to help prevent blood clots.

Allopathic treatment for nephrotic syndrome involves treating any medical condition that might be causing nephrotic syndrome. A doctor might also recommend medications and changes in patient’s diet to help control patient’s signs and symptoms or treat complications of nephrotic syndrome.

Homeopathic Treatment for Nephrotic syndrome

Homeopathy has very wide range of medicines for renal diseases; for nephrotic syndrome or albuminuria or proteinuria here are few medicines:

Apocynum Cannabinum

Decreases secretions of mucous and serous membranes and acts on cellular tissue, treating oedema and dropsy and diaphoresis. Nephrotic syndrome. A diminished frequency of the pulse is a prime indication. This is one of our most efficient medicines in nephrotic syndrome, dropsies, ascites, anasarca and hydrothorax, and urinary troubles, especially suppression and strangury.

In the digestive complaints of Bright’s disease, with the nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, difficult breathing. Severe thirst and gastric irritability. Arrhythmia. Mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. Acute alcoholism. Relaxation of sphincters. Bladder much distended. Turbid, hot urine, with thick mucus and burning in urethra, after urinating. Little expulsive power. Dribbling. Strangury. Renal Dropsy.

Strophanthus Hispidus

It increases the contractile power of all striped muscles. Acts on the heart; increasing the systole and diminishes the rapidity, tone the heart and run off dropsical accumulations. Mitral regurgitation, where oedema and dropsy have supervened. Nephrotic syndrome. Straphanthus Hispidus is a best and safest diuretic, safer even for the aged, as it does not affect the vaso-motors. After the long use of allopathic stimulants; irritable heart of tobacco-smokers. Arterio-sclerosis; rigid arteries of aged. Restores tone to a brittle tissue, especially of the heart muscle and valves. Especially useful in failing compensation dependent upon fatty heart. Hives. Anemia with palpitation and breathlessness. Exophthalmia goiter. Corpulent persons.

Temporal pains with double vision, impaired sight; brilliant eyes, flushed face. Senile vertigo. Nausea with special disgust for alcohol, best treatment for dipsomania (seven drops of tincture). Polyuria; scanty and albuminous.

Argentum Nitricum

Neurotic effects, many brain and spinal symptoms; symptoms of incoordination, loss of control and want of balance everywhere – mentally and physically; trembling in affected parts. Violent inflammation of the throat and gastro-enteritis. Splinter-like pains, and free muco-purulent discharge in the inflamed and ulcerated mucous membranes. Pains increase and decrease gradually. Flatulent state and prematurely aged look. Explosive belching especially in neurotics. Paraplegia Myelitis and disseminated sclerosis of brain and spinal cord. Intolerance of heat. Sensation of a sudden pinch (Dudgeon). Destroyed red blood corpuscles, anemia. Nephrotic syndrome: urine passes unconsciously, day and night. Urethra inflamed, with pain, burning, itching, pain as from a splinter. Urine scanty and dark. Emission of a few drops after having finished. Divided stream. Early stage of gonorrhea; profuse discharge and terrible cutting pains; bloody urine.

Asclepias Syriaca

Asclepias Syraca has especial influence on nervous tissues. Nervous headache with vomiting; followed by sweating or profuse urination. Belching of food with its proper taste. Influenza and hay-fever. Dropsy after scarlatina or heart disease. Headache from checked sweat or retention of effete matters. Uremia. Nephrotic syndrome. Bad smelling urine. Increased flow of urine. Pale colored urine, with light specific gravity. Increase of sediments.

Bryonia Album

Nephrotic syndrome: Urine scanty, reddish, brownish, hot, white, turbid, dark; often casts a pinkish stain on the bottom of the jar. Urgent inclination to urinate, without power of retention. Frequent emission of aqueous urine. Night polyuria. Involuntary emission of hot urine. Sensation of burning, and incisive pains in the urethra, before urination. Cutting in the urethra, or sensation of constriction while urinating. Shooting and burning pains in the urethra.

Calcarea Phophorica

Anemias after acute or chronic wasting diseases. Glandular enlargement. Nephrotic syndrome. Polyuria with sensation of weakness. Pain in region of kidneys when lifting or blowing the nose. Voluptuous feeling, as if all the parts were filled with blood; pulses in all the parts with increased desire; after urination. A weak, sinking sensation in the hypogastrium, and sinking, empty feeling in epigastrium; prolapsus. Aching in uterus. Cutting through to sacrum. Cream-like leucorrhea. Burning in vagina with pain on both sides of bladder and uterus.

Sepia Oficianalis

Irritation of the whole urinary tract, and catarrh of bladder and urethra. Nephrotic syndrome: There is frequent strong urging to urinate, although the desire is urgent, the discharge of urine may be difficult, and the patient may have to wait a long time. Stitches along the urethra. Relaxed sphincters. The bed is wet almost as soon as the child goes to sleep, always during the first sleep. Irritable bladder.

Colchicum Autumnale

Nephrotic syndrome: Urine dark, scanty or suppressed; bloody, brown, black, inky; contains clots of putrid decomposed blood, albumin, sugar.

Crotalus Horridus

Low septic states. General disorganization of the blood, hemorrhages and jaundice. Blood decomposition. Dark, bloody urine. Casts. Inflamed kidney. Albuminuria, urine dark, scanty, nephrotic syndrome.

Mercurius Corrosivus

Urine intense burning in urethra. Urine hot, burning, scanty or suppressed; bloody, greenish discharge. Albuminous. Tenesmus of bladder. Stabbing pain extending up urethra into bladder. Perspiration after urinating. Nephrotic syndrome.

Helliborus Niger

Albuminuria. Kidney’s congestion. Nephrotic syndrome. Polyuria with scanty emission. Sediment like coffee grounds. Feeble stream. Deep-colored urine. A large quantity of pale or watery urine.

Natrum Muriaticum

Diabetes. Dyspareunia. Dropsy. Nephrotic syndrome: Frequent and urgent want to urinate, day and night, sometimes every hour, with copious emission. Involuntary urination, sometimes on coughing, walking, laughing, or sneezing. Nocturnal urination. Clear urine, with red sediment, resembling brick-dust. Discharge of mucus from urethra during and after urination, causing itching and biting, mucus from urethra sometimes yellowish, as in gonorrhea. After micturition spasmodic contraction in abdomen; burning, drawing, and cutting in urethra. During micturition stitches in bladder, smarting, burning in urethra; smarting and soreness in vulva. Urine dark, like coffee or black.

Prunus Spinosa

Cramps in bladder – day and night. Tenesmus of bladder, every half-hour for eight hours. Burning in sphincter vesicae. Pain as from suppuration or ulceration. Scanty and brown urine. Stream of urine like a thread, with pressure to stool or double stream. Bright yellow urine, with whitish, and sometimes a sky-blue colored sediment. Strangury. Continuous urging to urinate, with burning biting in bladder and urethra. Urgent desire to urinate; the urine only reaches glans penis and causes their violent pains and spasms, also with tenesmus in rectum. Urine reaches glans penis and then returns, spasmodic retention. Tenesmus of bladder.

Salicylicum Acidum

Diabetes mellitus. Nephrotic syndrome. Albuminuria with rheumatic diathesis. Urine scanty, clear, brown; three hours after passage has a green tinge, and a feathery deposit of crystal of Salicylic acid; if these are removed the urine at once becomes putrid; if left, urine remains fresh for a week.

Solidago

Very best choice for nephrotic syndrome. Pains in kidneys. Kidneys painful on pressure, extend to abdomen and bladder. Dysuria; scanty and difficult. Urine dark, red brown, with thick sediment; dark with sediment of phosphates; slightly sour, neutral, or alkaline; with numerous epithelial cells or small mucous particles; epithelial cells with gravel of triple phosphates or phosphates of lime. Bright’s disease. Clear, stinking urine.

Arsenic Album

Edematous swelling mainly on the face and abdomen. Retention of urine, as from paralysis of the bladder. Frequent urination, even at night, with abundant emission. Incontinence of urine, which escapes almost involuntarily, even at night, in bed. Difficult and painful emission of urine. Scanty deep yellow urine. Urine aqueous, greenish, brownish, or turbid, with mucus-like sediment. Sanguineous urine. Micturition.

Terebinthinate

Nephrotic syndrome: pressure in the kidneys when sitting, going off during motion. Heaviness and pain and burning in kidneys. Frequent urination. Spasms from any attempt to urinate. Suppressed secretion of urine. Strangury, followed by soreness. Diminished secretion of urine. Secretion of urine considerably augmented. Urine smelling strongly of violets; deposit of mucus, or thick, muddy, slimy, yellowish white deposit. Hematuria. Urethritis, with painful erections. Stricture of urethra.

Serum Anguillae

The serum of the eel has a toxic action on the blood, rapidly destroying its globules. The presence of albumin and renal elements in the urine, the hemoglobinuria, the prolonged anuria (24 and 26 hours), together with the results of the autopsy, plainly demonstrate its elective action on the kidneys. Secondarily, the liver and the heart are affected, and the alterations observed are those usually present in infectious diseases.

Therapeutical indications of the serum of the eel are whenever the kidney becomes acutely affected, either from cold or infection or intoxication, and the attack is characterized by oliguria, anuria and albuminuria. Serum Anguillae or eel’s serum eminently efficacious to re-establish diuresis, and in rapidly arresting albuminuria. Kidney failure due to allopathic heart medication when we observe cardiac irregularities and a marked state of asystole.

While digitalis presents in its indications, the well-known symptomatic trilogy: arterial hypertension oliguria and oedema; the serum of the eel seems better adapted to cases of hypertension and oliguria, without oedema. We should bear in mind that the elective action of the eel’s serum is on the kidney, and I believe we can well assert that if digitalis is a cardiac, the eel’s serum is a renal remedy.

Subacute nephritis. Heart diseases, in cases of failure of compensation and impending asystole. The experiments of Dr. Jousset have amply demonstrated the rapid hematuria, albuminuria and oliguria caused by it. Very efficacious in functional heart diseases. Mitral insufficiency, asystole with or without oedema, dyspnea and difficult urinary secretion.

Apis Mellifica

Burning soreness when urinating. Strangury. Pain in region of kidneys; soreness on pressure or when stooping. Frequent desire, with passage of only a few drops. Urine scanty and high-colored; with thirstlessness. Incontinence of urine from coughing and other circumstances. Urine suppressed. Too profuse discharge of urine. Albuminuria of scarlatina. Burning smartening and stinging in the urethra. Bladder very painful, often tenesmus after urinating. Urine often bloody, milky appearance; very dark and frothy; very fetid; sediment reddish-brown, like coffee grounds.

Phosphorous

Increased secretion of watery, pale or whitish urine. Frequent emission of a scanty stream – small quantity urine. Urine with white, serous, sandy and red, or else yellow sediment. Turbid urine, with sediment like brick-dust. Variegated pellicle on surface of urine. Hematuria (with acute pain in region of kidneys and liver, and jaundice). Micturition. Tension and jerking or burning pain in urethra when not urinating (with frequent desire to urinate).

Berberis Vulgaris

Bubbling sensation in region of kidneys. Lancinating or tearing pulsative pain in kidneys. Violent sticking pains in the bladder, extending from the kidneys into the urethra, with urging to urinate. Frequently recurring, crampy, contractive pain, or aching pain, in the bladder. Smarting pain in the urethra, with sensation of excoriation. Increased secretion of urine, which is as clear as water. Urine pale yellowish, with slimy, gelatinous, mealy sediment, white, greyish white, or reddish; thick, yellowish, like whey, or clay-colored water. Deep yellow with abundant sediment. Greenish urine, depositing mucus.

Chelidonium

Nephrotic syndrome: Pressure in bladder with scanty emission. Spasmodic pain in kidney and liver. Burning, darting and cutting in urethra. Frequent desire and urging to micturate. Urine profuse, whitish, foaming; red and turbid; dark. Diabetes.

Lachesis

Pressure on bladder, with urgency to urinate, or with cuttings and burnings in abdomen. m. Frequent urination with copious emission even in night. Violent pain. Violent tenesmus, with scanty emission of urine. Paralysis of bladder. Continual incisive shootings in urethra. Tumor in urethra. Urine turbid and brown, or red, or deep yellow, or with brown and sandy or red or brick-colored sediment. Frothy urine. Urine frequent, foaming, black. Involuntary and unnoticed emission of urine. Micturition.

Natrum Sulphuricum

Frequent emission of urine, with sediment of a yellow color, or like brick-dust. Piercing in both groins, with urging to urinate. Burning in urethra, after and during emission of urine, or with pain in the small of back on retaining urine. Urine scanty; dark and passed more frequently. Urine loaded with bile. Brisk-dust sediment. Excessive secretion. Diabetes.

Senega

Auriya. Urine loaded with shreds and mucus, scalding before and after urinating. Back, bursting distending pain in kidney region. Nephrotic syndrome.

P. S: This article is only for doctors having good knowledge about Homeopathy and allopathy, for learning purpose(s).

For proper consultation and treatment, please visit our clinic.

None of above-mentioned medicine(s) is/are the full/complete treatment but just hints for treatment; every patient has his/her own constitutional medicine.

Dr. Sayyad Qaisar Ahmed (MD {Ukraine}, DHMS), Abdominal Surgeries, Oncological surgeries, Gastroenterologist, Specialist Homeopathic Medicines.

  Senior research officer at Dnepropetrovsk state medical academy Ukraine.

Location:  Al-Haytham clinic, Umer Farooq Chowk Risalpur Sadder (0923631023, 03119884588), K.P.K, Pakistan.

Find more about Dr Sayed Qaisar Ahmed at:

https://www.youtube.com/Dr Qaisar Ahmed

https://www.facebook.com/ahmed drqaisar

https://www.drqaisarahmed.com