Nephrotic syndrome is characterized by proteinuria greater than 3.5
g/day per 1.73 m2, hypoproteinemia, edema, and hyperlipidemia. A
hypercoagulable state may also be present in some patients. The
syndrome may be the result of primary diseases of the glomerulus,
or be associated with systemic diseases such as diabetes mellitus,
lupus, amyloidosis, and preeclampsia. Hypoproteinemia, especially
hypoalbuminemia, results from increased urinary loss of albumin
and an increased rate of catabolism of filtered albumin by proximal
tubular cells. The compensatory increase in hepatic synthesis of
albumin is insufficient to replenish the protein loss, probably
because of malnutrition