Nephrotic syndrome, in renal pathology, is defined by the classic triad of hypercholesterolemia, hypoalbuminemia, and proteinuria greater than 3.5 g/24h with peripheral edema, arising from injury to the glomerular filtration barrier (fenestrated endothelium, glomerular basement membrane, and podocytes) that normally excludes protein by size and negative charge. The disease is classified into primary subtypes — minimal change disease, membranous glomerulonephritis, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis — and secondary subtypes caused by systemic disease (e.g., diabetic nephropathy, lupus, amyloidosis, hepatitis, HIV), each distinguished by characteristic light microscopy, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy findings. This forms part of the broader study of glomerulonephritis within renal pathology, linking structural injury of the nephron to the clinical manifestations of protein and blood loss in urine.
Nephrotic syndrome, in renal pathology, is defined by the classic triad of hypercholesterolemia, hypoalbuminemia, and proteinuria greater than 3.5 g/24h with peripheral edema, arising from injury to …