Nephrology and Hypertension

Nephrotic Syndrome in Children

Nephrotic syndrome is characterized by symptoms that result from changes that occur to the small, functional filters in the kidneys.

Glomerulonephritis

Glomerulonephritis is a kidney disease that involves inflammation of tiny filter units in the kidneys called glomeruli. Due to inflammation, these filters can leak blood and protein into the urine. Symptoms may include dark brown-colored urine (from blood and protein) and diminished urine output.

Read Alex's Story

Name: Alex G.
Condition(s): Nephrotic Syndrome
Age Today: 15 Years

For two years of Alex's life, everything seemed fine. The his mother noticed that he wasn’t feeling well, battling persistent stomach problems and puffy eyes. At first she thought they were dealing with allergies, but as Alex worsened, tests revealed he had a rare kidney disorder called nephrotic syndrome.

Read Brielle's Story

Name: Brielle
Condition(s): Kidney Transplant, Wilms Tumor

When Brielle was 11 months old, she was diagnosed with Wilms' tumor in both kidneys. The kidneys were removed four months later, and she began dialysis four times a week. After being cancer-free for two years, Brielle became a candidate for kidney transplant.

Read Kaylor's Story

Name: Kaylor B.
Condition(s): Nephrotic Syndrome
Age Today: 13 Years

About a month before Kaylor's 5th birthday, he developed an upper respiratory infection. During a visit to the doctor, I noticed when they took his weight it had spiked up 10 pounds, but I couldn't remember the last time I weighed him.

Read Kaden's Story

Name: Kaden S.
Condition(s): Dilated Cardiomyopathy, Neurogenic Bladder
Age Today: 12 Years

Though Kaden was fully potty trained at 3 years of age, we gradually started noticing urinary incontinence and his fluid intake was getting excessive. We asked his primary care physician for blood work and within 2 hours we were notified that Kaden's creatinine was 3 times what it should be. They advised us to go to Nationwide Children's Hospital and that is how Kaden's journey of Stage 4 kidney disease began.

Nephrology Team Grants

The Section of Nephrology is dedicated to advancing clinical care of kidney and related disorders through research. See a list of current research grants awarded to our team.

Nephrology and Urology (NURAG)

Members of the Section of Nephrology and Hypertension also participate in the Nephrology and Urology Research Affinity Group (NURAG). NURAG is composed of medical faculty, residents and fellows from the Nephrology and Urology programs at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. NURAG also includes members of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s whose research projects focus on the fields of nephrology, urology and associated disciplines.

The Pediatric Nephrolgy Research Consortium (formerly the Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium - MWPNC)

The Pediatric Nephrology Research Consortium (PNRC) started in 2004 as the Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium  with a mission to develop and execute multi-center clinical and translational studies related to pediatric kidney diseases. As the Consortium has expanded to include participants from 90 pediatric nephrology centers across North America, it has truly outgrown its ‘mid-western’ roots.  With over 200 members, it continues to be an active continent-wide platform for collaborative research by investigators dedicated to developing the evidence for the best standards of care for children with kidney disorders. The PNRC has published now published over 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts and conducted 12 nationally funded research projects. Through these efforts, the PNRC is re-making the way that pediatric nephrologists improve patient care through collaborative clinical research. John D. Mahan, MD, and William E. Smoyer, MD, are two of its founders and Dr. Mahan serves currently as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the PNRC.