Case study of a patient with severe nephrotic syndrome

M.T. battled SLE for 9 years before renal failure occurred. She is now free of extrarenal symptoms of lupus, as has been described elsewhere (Ziff & Hilderman, 1983). The patient has regained here appetite, lost 13 pounds, recovered some strength and reestablished her social network. Without the severe proteinuria, M.T. has a chance to improve her nutritional status and increase her albumin. Her pulmonary status may also improve if she can refrain from smoking. Although fatigue is a debilitating feature of lupus, M.T. has increased stamina and is learning energy conservation techniques. Immediately after surgery, she did experience problems with bleeding, pneumonia, and pleural effusions, but the medical and nursing management prevented serious adverse outcomes. Fluid balance is no longer problematic, and M.T. is approaching her ideal body weight as her nutritional status improves. Her serum albumin has increased to about 2.6 gm/dl with some decrease in her proteinuria.