Due to the rcent death of Jonah Lomu, there's been a lot in the press recently on Nephrotic Syndrome.
Is Nephrotic Syndrome not the downstream result of WG? Or is there a specific physiological difference? I was just reading up on the main symtoms being high protein in urine due to glomerulonephritis; thrombosis, oedema, hypertension?
Nephrotic syndrome is just the name given to a constellation of symptoms indicating kidney disease - there is a whole range of causes. Rather than me write an essay here's a bit from the NIDDK in the USA:
"What causes nephrotic syndrome?
Nephrotic syndrome can be caused by diseases that affect only the kidneys, such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) or membranous nephropathy. Diseases that affect only the kidneys are called primary causes of nephrotic syndrome. The glomeruli are usually the targets of these diseases for reasons that are not fully understood. In FSGS—the most common primary cause of nephrotic syndrome—scar tissue forms in parts of the glomeruli. In membranous nephropathy, immune molecules form harmful deposits on the glomeruli.
Nephrotic syndrome can also be caused by systemic diseases, which are diseases that affect many parts of the body, such as diabetes or lupus. Systemic diseases that affect the kidneys are called secondary causes of nephrotic syndrome. More than 50 percent of nephrotic syndrome cases in adults have secondary causes, with diabetes being the most common."
WG will be a secondary cause. The end effect may be similar but the mechanism of that effect may be different, I'm not sure what is amiss other than the glomeruli are damaged in some way (they are the structures that form filters in the kidney, letting some things through and stopping others).
It wasn't directly nephrotic syndrome that he died from though if I remember rightly. It is thought to have been a heart attack due to a clot detaching from a DVT - probably due to the travel back from the World Cup.
Have you seen this explanation - it is pretty good:
I believe Jonah was born with this problem with his kidney.
Susan
A rare disease by the sound of it.
Thanks all for replies especially PMRpro because the primary vs secondary cause is exactly the debate. I understand then that primary is quite rare eg Jonah born with NS but as secondary then surely not so rare.
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