Hi, Most children will have at least one relapse or recurrence of protein in the urine. Each relapse will need a further course of steroid treatment. In general, steroid treatment for a relapse is for a shorter time than the initial treatment at the time of diagnosis of nephrotic syndrome. If a child has fairly frequent relapses then they might take a small dose of steroid medication on alternate days to prevent relapses. This is usually called maintenance treatment. However, as the child becomes older, the relapses usually happen less often. It is important to remember that children with the usual type of nephrotic syndrome (minimal change disease) have no risk of kidney failure. Usually, as a child grows older, the nephrotic syndrome will become less troublesome. The great majority of children will eventually grow in to normal adults.