Which of the following best describes nephrotic syndrome and the mechanism of edema?

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Nephrotic syndrome is defined by heavy protein loss in urine, which leads to low serum albumin (hypoalbuminemia). This drop reduces plasma oncotic pressure, so fluid shifts from the intravascular space into the interstitial tissues, causing edema. The liver tries to compensate for the protein loss by making more lipoproteins, resulting in hyperlipidemia and lipiduria. The proteinuria is typically greater than 3.5 g/day. The other patterns describe nephritic-type diseases (hematuria with red cell casts and hypertension; oliguria with azotemia and casts) or infections, which do not capture the hallmark combination of massive proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, hyperlipidemia with lipiduria, and edema from decreased oncotic pressure.