Edema is one of the three characteristic of nephrotic syndrome. Edema occurs on account of fluid retention when the kidney function starts to decline. During nephrotic syndrome, protein leads to hypoalbuminemia which is the loss of albumin from the blood.
Albumin is an important protein held responsible for regulating the oncotic pressure in the vascular system. When the albumin level drops because of impaired kidney function, it results in decreased oncotic pressure that allows the plasma to move from intravascular space into the interstitial space. This activates the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system that prohibits the sodium excretion by the kidneys.
The other factor responsible for the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activation is the changes in the capillary endothelial filtration barrier. Vascular permeability characterizes the ability of the blood vessels to allow the water in and out of the vessels. This is perhaps common in nephrotic syndrome with changes in albumin levels.
However, low albumin levels are not sufficient to cause sodium retention in nephrotic patients. The individuals with lacking plasma albumin do not allow sodium to retain in the cells and tissues and cause edema.
Fluid retention occurs when the kidneys work slightly differently from what they are supposed to. This negligible performance of the kidneys prohibits them from removing or flushing excess of the fluid. This fluid in return starts to leak in between and pressurize the blood to move at a relatively higher speed.
High blood pressure is one of the common complications of fluid retention. Hypertension or high blood pressure does not allow the kidneys to perform up to their core efficiency. With high blood flow, the tendency of damage to the walls increases. This sabotages the blood vessels of the kidneys and those around the body thereby obstructing the filtration process.
Initially, a nephrotic patient may not seem to have witnessed many complications, but as protein gets submerged along with the urine and fluid starts to retain nephrotic may even turn out to be chronic kidney disease.
Consistent fluid retention may a sign of serious complications such as:
- kidney disease
- deep vein thrombosis
- Swelling in the lower body
- fibroids in women
So, treating fluid retention and nephrotic syndrome is extremely important. If you have nephrotic syndrome, we suggest you ayurvedic treatment for nephrotic syndrome. This is the fastest and yet effective treatment to curing the signs and complications of any kidney disease.
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