NEPHROSIS Meaning and
Definition
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Nephrosis, also known as nephrotic syndrome, is a medical condition characterized by abnormal kidney function resulting in excessive protein leakage into the urine. It is a kidney disorder that often occurs due to damage to the glomeruli, which are tiny blood vessels responsible for filtering waste products and excess fluids from the blood to form urine.
The defining feature of nephrosis is the presence of proteinuria, whereby abnormally high amounts of protein, particularly albumin, are found in the urine. This occurs because the damaged glomeruli become more permeable, allowing proteins to escape into the urine instead of being properly filtered and retained in the blood. This abnormal loss of protein can lead to a decrease in the protein levels in the blood, resulting in edema (swelling) in various parts of the body, particularly the legs, feet, and ankles.
Additional symptoms of nephrosis may include foamy or frothy urine due to the high protein content, unexplained weight gain caused by fluid retention, fatigue, and a general feeling of malaise. The condition can also be accompanied by high cholesterol levels and an increased risk of blood clots.
Treatment for nephrosis typically involves addressing the underlying cause and managing the symptoms. Measures may include medications to reduce proteinuria, diuretics to alleviate fluid retention, dietary changes to control cholesterol levels, and sometimes immunosuppressive drugs to suppress immune system activity if nephrosis is caused by an autoimmune disease.
Regular monitoring and management are important to prevent complications and maintain kidney function in individuals with nephrosis.
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A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
Common Misspellings for NEPHROSIS
- bephrosis
- mephrosis
- jephrosis
- hephrosis
- nwphrosis
- nsphrosis
- ndphrosis
- nrphrosis
- n4phrosis
- n3phrosis
- neohrosis
- nelhrosis
- ne-hrosis
- ne0hrosis
- nepgrosis
- nepbrosis
- nepnrosis
- nepjrosis
- nepurosis
- nephrosiis
Etymology of NEPHROSIS
The word "nephrosis" is derived from the medical prefix "nephro-", which comes from the Greek word "nephros" meaning "kidney". The suffix "-osis" is also derived from Greek, meaning "condition" or "abnormal condition". Therefore, "nephrosis" as a whole refers to a pathological or abnormal condition of the kidneys.
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