Anyone can get Minimal Change Disease. It is the number one cause of nephrotic syndrome* in children. Most of the time, the disease affects children less than five years old and boys twice as often as girls. However, adults can acquire MCD as well. The average age of onset in adults is 40 years and the prevalence in both genders is equal.
*Nephrotic syndrome is another name for a disease of the kidney that includes edema (weight gain due to too much fluid in the body) and loss of protein into the urine.
MCD accounts for:
70% - 90% of nephrotic syndrome in children under 10
50% of nephrotic syndrome cases in children ages 10 - 18
10% - 15% of primary nephrotic syndrome in adults
How does a person get MCD?
The cause of MCD is unknown. It is a rare disease that was first identified in the early 1900s. It was originally called lipoid nephrosis because of the amount of lipids in the tubules and urine.
This disease may be related to the following:
- Allergic reactions
- NSAID use
- Tumors
- Vaccinations
- Viral infections
However, more research is currently being done to understand why the podocytes of the glomeruli fuse together and become unequally spaced.
How many people are afflicted with MCD?
MCD is more common in Asia than in North America and/or Europe, although it is not understood if this is due to more cases or diagnosis methods/biopsy practices. 2-7 new cases per 100,000 children are diagnosed annually. The current prevalence is approximately 15 per 100,000.
References:
http://www.rarediseasesnetwork.org/neptune/patients/learnmore/MCD/
http://www.slideshare.net/avalliant?utm_campaign=profiletracking&utm_medium=sssite&utm_source=ssslideview
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000496.htm
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/243348-overview#a0199
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