Minimal Change Disease
Symptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More

Learn About Minimal Change Disease

What is the definition of Minimal Change Disease?

Minimal change disease is a kidney disorder that can lead to nephrotic syndrome. Nephrotic syndrome is a group of symptoms that include protein in the urine, low blood protein levels in the blood, high cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, and swelling.

What are the alternative names for Minimal Change Disease?

Minimal change nephrotic syndrome; Nil disease; Lipoid nephrosis; Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome of childhood

What are the causes of Minimal Change Disease?

Each kidney is made of more than a million units called nephrons, which filter blood and produce urine.

In minimal change disease, there is damage to the glomeruli. These are the tiny blood vessels inside the nephron where blood is filtered to make urine and waste is removed. The disease gets its name because this damage is not visible under a regular microscope. It can only be seen under a very powerful microscope called an electron microscope.

Minimal change disease is the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in children. It is also seen in adults with nephrotic syndrome, but is less common.

The cause is unknown, but the disease may occur after or be related to:

  • Allergic reactions
  • Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
  • Tumors
  • Vaccinations (flu and pneumococcal, though rare)
  • Viral infections
What are the symptoms of Minimal Change Disease?

There may be symptoms of nephrotic syndrome, including:

  • Foamy appearance of the urine
  • Poor appetite
  • Swelling (especially around the eyes, feet and ankles, and in the abdomen)
  • Weight gain (from fluid retention)

Minimal change disease does not reduce the amount of urine produced. It rarely progresses to kidney failure.

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What are the current treatments for Minimal Change Disease?

Medicines called corticosteroids (or steroids) can cure minimal change disease in most children. Some children may need to stay on steroids to keep the disease from returning.

Steroids are effective in adults, but less so in children. Adults may have more frequent relapses and become dependent on steroids.

If steroids are not effective, the provider will likely suggest other medicines.

Swelling may be treated with:

  • ACE inhibitor medicines
  • Blood pressure control
  • Diuretics (water pills)

You may also be told to reduce the amount of salt in your diet.

Who are the top Minimal Change Disease Local Doctors?
Andrew S. Bomback
Elite in Minimal Change Disease
Elite in Minimal Change Disease

CUIMC/Herbert Irving Pavilion

161 Fort Washington Avenue, Floor 2, Suite 202, 
New York, NY 
Languages Spoken:
English
Accepting New Patients
Offers Telehealth

Andrew S. Bomback, MD, MPH, is a nephrologist who specializes in glomerular diseases and resistant hypertension. Dr. Bomback received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed residency in Internal Medicine and fellowships in Nephrology and Clinical Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was the Doc J. Thurston III Fellow in Nephrology and Hypertension. In 2009, he returned to Columbia University as an associate at the Center for Glomerular Diseases and is currently Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Bomback is a member of the ColumbiaDoctors Hypertension Center, a multi-disciplinary center of excellence that provides high quality care and state-of-the-art diagnostic testing for patients with hypertension,Dr. Bomback has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on the subjects of chronic kidney disease, glomerular diseases, and hypertension. He is the co-author of the textbook, Chronic Kidney Disease and Hypertension Essentials, and an editor of the National Kidney Foundation's Primer on Kidney Diseases. He is the recipient of the 2013 Daniel V. Kimberg Junior Faculty Award for oustanding teaching of medical students and housestaff.Dr. Bomback's research interests focus on evaluating novel therapies for glomerular diseases. He currently serves as principal or co-investigator on clinical trials of new treatments for IgA nephropathy, membranous nephropathy, lupus glomerulonephritis, hereditary nephritis, C3 glomerulopathy, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Dr. Bomback is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Minimal Change Disease. His top areas of expertise are Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis, Glomerulonephritis, Membranous Nephropathy, Minimal Change Disease, and Kidney Transplant.

John Sedor
Elite in Minimal Change Disease
Nephrology
Elite in Minimal Change Disease
Nephrology

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

9500 Euclid Avenue, 
Cleveland, OH 
Experience:
52+ years
Languages Spoken:
English

John Sedor is a Nephrologist in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Sedor has been practicing medicine for over 52 years and is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Minimal Change Disease. His top areas of expertise are Minimal Change Disease, Nephrotic Syndrome, Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, Glomerulonephritis, and Kidney Transplant.

 
 
 
 
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Rasheed A. Gbadegesin
Elite in Minimal Change Disease
Elite in Minimal Change Disease

Duke Children's Health Center Kidney Transplant Clinic

2301 Erwin Rd, 
Durham, NC 
Experience:
25+ years
Languages Spoken:
English, Yoruba
Offers Telehealth

I am a pediatric nephrologist and work with children with kidney disease. Some of the conditions that we see include congenital malformations of the kidney and the bladder, nephrotic syndrome, glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the kidney filters), and children who are on dialysis or who received kidney transplantation because of kidney failure. I listen carefully to parents when they bring their children to the clinic because they know their children better than any other person, and they are the best advocates for their child. I collaborate a lot with the other doctors in the clinic. Rest assured, when you visit our clinic and I am not around, the doctor who is seeing you knows everything about your child. This is a group practice with a very caring multidisciplinary team. Dr. Gbadegesin is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Minimal Change Disease. His top areas of expertise are Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, Nephrotic Syndrome, Minimal Change Disease, Glomerulonephritis, and Kidney Transplant.

What is the outlook (prognosis) for Minimal Change Disease?

Children usually respond better to corticosteroids than adults. Children often respond within the first month of treatment.

A relapse can occur. The condition may improve after long-term treatment with corticosteroids and medicines that suppress the immune system (immunosuppressants).

When should I contact a medical professional for Minimal Change Disease?

Contact your provider if:

  • You develop symptoms of minimal change disease
  • You have this disorder and your symptoms get worse
  • You develop new symptoms, including side effects from the medicines used to treat the disorder
What are the latest Minimal Change Disease Clinical Trials?
A Parallel-group Treatment, Phase 2a, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Umbrella Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Frexalimab, Brivekimig, and Rilzabrutinib in Participants Aged 16 to 75 Years With Primary Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) or Minimal Change Disease (MCD)

Summary: This is a parallel, Phase 2a, double-blind, 6-arm study for the treatment of primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) or primary minimal change disease (MCD). The purpose of this study is to measure the change in proteinuria and its impact on the rates of remission of nephrotic syndrome with frexalimab, brivekimig, or rilzabrutinib compared with placebo in participants with primary FSGS o...

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A Phase 2, Open-Label, Single-Arm, Cohort Study to Evaluate the Safety, Efficacy, and Pharmacokinetics of Sparsentan Treatment in Pediatric Subjects With Selected Proteinuric Glomerular Diseases

Summary: To evaluate the safety, efficacy and tolerability of sparsentan oral suspension and tablets, and assess changes in proteinuria after once-daily dosing over 108 weeks.

Who are the sources who wrote this article ?

Published Date: December 31, 2023
Published By: Walead Latif, MD, Nephrologist and Clinical Associate Professor, Rutgers Medical School, Newark, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

What are the references for this article ?

Erkan E. Nephrotic syndrome. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 567.

Radhakrishnan J, Appel GB, D'Agati VD. Secondary glomerular disease. In: Yu ASL, Chertow GM, Luyckx VA, Marsden PA, Skorecki K, Taal MW, eds. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 32.