Minimal Change Disease

Minimal change disease is a major cause of nephrotic syndrome in children. Symptoms include massive loss of protein in the urine (proteinuria), low plasma albumin (hypoalbuminemia), and generalized edema due to hypoalbuminemia. When looking at the glomerulus of a patient with this disease, it appears mostly normal. However, under the electron microscope, one can notice loss of foot processes of the podocytes. Without the proper filtering barrier, important plasma proteins are loss in the urine, resulting in the symptoms of the disease. Current research suggests that the disease is mediated by T cell defects.