You may be eligible for SSDI benefits if you suffer from extreme generalized edema or massive edema, high protein in urine, anasarca or high cholesterol in urine.

The SSA's Blue Book lists nephrotic syndrome as a qualifying disability under SSA's Blue Book Medical Listing 6.06. An individual must have nephrotic syndrome with anasarca and the condition must have persisted for at least three months despite prescribed treatments and therapy, according to this listing. Anasarca is a medical impairment caused by widespread swelling of the body. It occurs when your body tissues retain an abnormally large amount of fluid for a variety of reasons. It is distinct from other types of edema that affect only one or two parts of the body. The condition is also known as extreme generalized edema or massive edema.

Edema is only one of the symptoms of nephrotic syndrome. Whereas, the SSA has a disability listing for all of the symptoms causing impairments due to the nephrotic syndrome, to be eligible for disability benefits.

Nephrotic Syndrome

Nephrotic syndrome is a particular type of kidney disorder. It is caused by the development of small pores in the kidneys filtration system that filtered impurities. The development of these pores allow the passage of useful proteins into the urine from the blood. These pores are not large enough to allow the passage of actual cells though. If they do, the condition becomes known as Hematuria.

The condition is caused by an attack on the filtering system in the kidneys and can be caused by any of several primary diseases, the majority of which are idiopathic (meaning the cause is not known). Nephrotic syndrome is categorized by a group of symptoms that include:

  • a) Low protein levels in the blood,
  • b) Proteinuria: high protein levels in the urine,
  • c) High triglyceride levels,
  • d) Hyperlipidemia: high cholesterol levels, and
  • e) Edema: local swelling on the body, especially visible on face.

Other symptoms may include fluid buildup in the body as the body retains water and sodium. This can result in puffiness around the eyes (especially in the morning), swelling in the legs or feet, and fluid buildup in the abdomen, which typically results in the abdomen swelling and feeling hard to the touch. Also, anemia, foamy urine, frothy urine, and shortness of breath are all common side effects.

When a person develops nephrotic syndrome, it indicates that their kidneys are not functioning properly. There are numerous conditions that can cause nephrotic syndrome, and if not detected and treated properly, these conditions can lead to kidney failure. As a result, treatment of the underlying condition is critical to the health of a person diagnosed with this disorder. Treatment is primarily focused on reducing the loss of proteins through abnormal filtering in kidneys and to deal with the bloating caused due to fluid retention. For this reason, your doctor may prescribe you to take dietary measures such as:

  • -Reduce your sodium intake
  • -Increase your fruit intake
  • -Avoid taking saturated fats
  • -Increase high protein food, especially meat, poultry and fish
  • -Increase your vegetable intake
  • -Monitor your fluid intake

For many people, these simple dietary measures would be enough to manage their symptoms. However, for patients whose symptoms do not improve much from any of above measures, may be eligible for ssdi benefits for nephrotic syndrome.

Getting SSDI Benefits for Nephrotic Syndrome

Your disability examiner (DE) would require you to present enough evidence that your nephrotic syndrome is 'severe enough' to prevent you from working. One of the most common medical test to diagnose nephrotic syndrome is through the 24 hour urine sample test that measures the proteins in the urine. In some cases, doctors may perform a kidney biopsy or an ultrasound of the entire abdomen to diagnose and try to pinpoint the cause of nephrotic syndrome.

Your DE would require you to take urine test at least twice within the three month period to establish that you have nephrotic syndrome and must show significant levels of protein in the urine. You would also be asked whether you have followed through all the doctor's prescriptions and whether or not they improved or worsened your symptoms. *Note that having a complete medical record and documentation showing all types of treatments you have followed through for your nephrotic syndrome may greatly aid your case to earn disability benefits.

If your medical records are not significant to prove that your condition is indeed disabling enough, you may be required to fill our residual functional capacity (RFC) forms and present your doctor's statements, employer's testimonies and caretaker statements (if any), to prove that your condition prevents you from performing daily functioning activities normally.

If you or your loved one has been diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome and are unsure on how to proceed with your application, you may seek legal help from our expert disability attorneys. Also, if you have previously filed for disability benefits and want to go for an appeals process in front of ALJ or supreme court, we are here to help.

While some patients that develop nephrotic syndrome may not experience any symptoms at all. Others may be unable to carry out daily functioning activity or earn decent livelihoods under substantial gainful activity (SGA).