Abstract

Nephrotic syndrome is defined by the presence of peripheral edema, heavy proteinuria (greater than 3.5 g/24h), and hypoalbuminemia (less than 3 g/dL).[1] Nephrotic syndrome is relatively rare, with an incidence of 3 new patients per 100,000 per year in adults.[1] Despite being a known cause for new onset edema in patients at any age, nephrotic syndrome is often neglected in considering differential diagnoses for this presentation in primary care settings, and initial workups often focus on ruling out cardiac and hepatic causes of edema.[1-3] In this case report, we describe a 25-year-old male patient who presented to the emergency department (ED) complaining of a 10-day history of anasarca. He was later diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome secondary to minimal change disease. This case served as a reminder to include the differential diagnosis of nephrotic syndrome early in the workup of an adult with peripheral edema presenting to the ED.

Authors and Affiliations