Nephrotic syndrome is a collection of findings resulting from glomerular dysfunction with an increase in glomerular capillary wall permeability associated with pronounced proteinuria. Nephrotic syndrome refers to the constellation of clinical findings that result from severe renal loss of protein, with Proteinuria and hypoalbuminemia, edema, and hyperlipidemia.

A form of nephrotic syndrome that does not respond to treatment with steroid medication, defined as persistent proteinuria despite 60mg/m2 or 2mg/kg for 8 weeks, after insuring no infection or non-adherence to medication.

An anomaly of podocyte morphology characterized by the loss of the interdigitating foot process pattern (generally called foot process effacement; FPE). The term FPE designates the loss of the usual interdigitating pattern of foot processes of neighboring podocytes, leading to relatively broad expanses of podocyte processes covering the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). It is widely viewed as a pathological derangement that is associated with leakage of macromolecules such as albumin through the glomerular filtration barrier.

The presence of minimal changes visible by light microscopy but flattened and fused podocyte foot processes on electron microscopy in a person with nephrotic range proteinuria.