Blood clots can form when proteins that normally prevent them are lost through the urine. Blood clots can block the flow of blood and oxygen through a blood vessel. Loss of immunoglobulins—immune system proteins that help fight disease and infection—leads to an increased risk of infections. These infections include pneumonia, a lung infection; cellulitis, a skin infection; peritonitis, an abdominal infection; and meningitis, a brain and spine infection. Medications given to treat nephrotic syndrome can also increase the risk of these infections. Other complications of nephrotic syndrome include
• hypothyroidism—a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone to meet the body’s needs
• anemia—a condition in which red blood cells are fewer or smaller than normal, which means less oxygen is carried to the body’s cells
• coronary artery disease, also called coronary heart disease—heart disease caused by narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the heart
• high blood pressure, also called hypertension—a condition in which blood flows through the blood vessels with a force greater than normal
• acute kidney injury—sudden and temporary loss of kidney function