[Minimal change nephrotic syndrome in adults]

Twenty five adult patients with minimal changes disease proven at kidney biopsy and 13 of them older than 50 years of age are reported. Clinically, 32% of cases behaved as "impure" nephrotic syndrome, with no one case of established renal insufficiency; in nine cases, the process was antedated by a triggering event, usually infective episodes. In four cases who received no treatment, spontaneous remission was observed. All treated patients but one, initially responded to corticosteroid treatment in a period shorter than 1 month and 40% of patients presented maintained remission. There were no important complications derived from the disease nor from the treatment and at the end of the follow up only one patient died from a disease unrelated to the nephropathy.