Why does nephrotic syndrome always recur? Do these 5 things to prevent it!

Xiaoguan is only 24 years old this year, but she is already an old patient of the nephrology department. She has had nephrotic syndrome since she was 5 years old. Every time she takes hormones, the condition can be quickly controlled, but it will relapse whenever she catches a cold or gets tired. So far, it has relapsed 7 times.

During the more than ten years of medical treatment, Xiaoguan has been in a vicious cycle of "treatment-remission-relapse-retreatment-remission-relapse". Xiaoguan is in pain. Why does nephrotic syndrome always relapse?

What are the causes of relapse of nephrotic syndrome?

01: It is related to certain pathological types, such as minimal change kidney disease and mild mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis. Hormone therapy can easily relieve the symptoms, but it is more likely to relapse.

02: Improper treatment, especially reducing or stopping hormones and some immunosuppressive drugs too quickly may lead to recurrence of kidney disease.

03: There are some factors that may cause recurrence of kidney disease, such as concurrent infection (respiratory tract infection, intestinal infection, urinary tract infection, etc.), overwork and pregnancy.

04 Patient’s personal factors, such as poor compliance, failure to strictly follow doctor’s orders for medication, self-reduction or discontinuation of medication, etc.

How can we prevent the recurrence of nephrotic syndrome?

01: Cooperate closely with doctors to make a clear diagnosis of nephrotic syndrome as early as possible and develop targeted treatment plans.

02: Strictly follow the doctor's orders, go for follow-up visits as ordered, and have a specialist adjust the dosage of medication based on changes in your condition. Do not stop taking the medication or adjust the dosage on your own.

03: Actively and cautiously respond to infection. In the seasons of alternating cold and hot weather, pay attention to adding or removing clothes to avoid respiratory infections. Pay attention to food hygiene, especially in the summer when fruits and vegetables are on the market. Avoid unclean food and avoid recurrence of the disease due to infectious diarrhea. Pay attention to proper rest and avoid overwork and staying up late. Once an infection occurs, it is recommended to see a doctor as soon as possible and deal with it in time.

04: Patients with severe edema and hypoproteinemia should mainly rest in bed. They can get out of bed and move around only after the edema subsides and their physical strength improves. However, they should maintain moderate activities in bed and around the bed to prevent limb thrombosis. When nephrotic syndrome is relieved, they can gradually increase their activities, but they should avoid strenuous activities.

05: Eat a light and easily digestible diet, and pay attention to the following issues: Sodium salt intake should be low-salt diet when edema occurs, so as not to aggravate edema. Generally, the daily salt intake should not exceed 3 grams. Do not eat pickled foods, and use less MSG and edible alkali. Patients with nephrotic syndrome should consume a normal amount of high-quality protein (such as chicken, duck, fish, eggs, etc., 0.8-1 grams per kilogram per day). When chronic renal function damage occurs, protein intake should be reduced to 0.6-0.8 grams per kilogram per day. Patients with nephrotic syndrome often have hyperlipidemia, which can cause arteriosclerosis and glomerular damage and sclerosis. Therefore, the intake of foods rich in cholesterol and fat, such as animal offal, fat meat, and certain seafood, should be limited. The permeability of the glomerular basement membrane of patients with nephrotic syndrome increases. In addition to losing a large amount of protein in the urine, some trace elements bound to protein are also lost, resulting in a lack of calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and other elements in the human body, which should be appropriately supplemented. Encourage the consumption of vegetables, fruits, and grains rich in vitamins and trace elements.