Notes · Renal · 8 min read
Glomerular disease: nephritic or nephrotic?
Two presentations, a short list of causes for each, and the clues that separate them.
Key points
- Nephrotic syndrome: proteinuria above 3.5 g/day, hypoalbuminaemia, oedema, hyperlipidaemia.
- Nephritic syndrome: haematuria with red cell casts, hypertension, oliguria and rising creatinine.
- Minimal change disease is the commonest cause of nephrotic syndrome in children and responds to steroids.
- Membranous nephropathy is a common primary cause in adults; anti-PLA2R antibodies support it.
- IgA nephropathy: visible haematuria 1–2 days after an upper respiratory infection.
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