Symptoms Of Membranous Nephropathy

High Cholesterol

Some individuals with membranous nephropathy may present with abnormally high cholesterol in their blood. Cholesterol is a lipid or fat present in the blood and comes from the food an individual consumes. Membranous nephropathy can cause high cholesterol because the kidneys are not performing adequately. When the kidneys are functioning poorly, they are not able to filter out a specific enzyme inhibitor involved in the metabolism and breakdown of cholesterol. The liver produces the enzymes responsible for the proper breakdown of cholesterol. However, the inhibitor of this enzyme that stops it from acting on cholesterol begins to build up in the blood. This enzyme inhibitor essentially deactivates all of the liver enzymes that metabolize cholesterol. Because the liver enzymes cannot perform their function, cholesterol begins to accumulate in the blood. The high cholesterol in membranous nephropathy patients will typically show up in a standard blood panel test.