What is sclerosis of the kidney?
Glomerular sclerosis. Specialty. Nephrology. Glomerulosclerosis is hardening of the glomeruli in the kidney. It is a general term to describe scarring of the kidneys’ tiny blood vessels, the glomeruli, the functional units in the kidney that filter urea from the blood.
What causes kidney sclerosis?
Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis can be caused by a variety of conditions, such as diabetes, sickle cell disease, other kidney diseases and obesity. It can also be caused by an infection and drug toxicity. A rare form of FSGS is caused by inherited abnormal genes. Sometimes there’s no identifiable cause.
What is focal sclerosis?
Focal Segmental glomerulosclerosis is a type of glomerular disease and describes scarring (sclerosis) in your kidney. The scarring of FSGS only takes place in small sections of each glomerulus (filter), and only a limited number of glomeruli are damaged at first.
Can kidney sclerosis be reversed?
For some people, FSGS goes away on its own without treatment. For others, the disease continues for many years but does not get worse. Some people with FSGS develop kidney failure. These people may need a kidney transplant or dialysis (ongoing treatment where a machine filters the blood instead of the kidneys).
What does focal scarring mean?
Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis is scar tissue in the filtering unit of the kidney. This structure is called the glomerulus. The glomeruli serve as filters that help the body get rid of harmful substances. Each kidney has thousands of glomeruli. “Focal” means that some of the glomeruli become scarred.
Is kidney scarring kidney disease?
Kidney scarring, or ‘fibrosis’ is the primary cause of kidney disease and is triggered by factors including diabetes, autoimmune disease and high blood pressure, regular use of certain medications and prolonged infections.
Who gets focal segmental glomerulosclerosis?
Who is affected by focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS)? FSGS affects both adults and children but is most common in people over 45 years old. It occurs more often in men than in women. Doctors diagnose it more often in African Americans than other ethnicities.
Is scarring on kidneys serious?
In FSGS, the scarring occurs only in some of the glomeruli. And only part of the individual glomeruli is damaged. Untreated, it can lead to kidney failure. In some cases, kidney failure can occur despite treatment.
What causes FSGS kidney disease?
Causes. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS, can be caused by a variety of conditions, like diabetes, sickle cell disease, other kidney diseases, and obesity. It can also be caused by an infection and drug toxicity. A rare form of FSGS is caused by inherited abnormal genes. Sometimes there’s no identifiable cause.
What is FSGS and is it fatal?
Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) FSGS is a rare disease that attacks the kidney’s filtering units (glomeruli) and causes serious scarring, leading to permanent kidney damage and even kidney failure. FSGS is one of the causes of a serious condition known as Nephrotic Syndrome.
What is FSGS disease?
Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a kidney disease that can lead to glomerulosclerosis. In FSGS, the scarring occurs only in some of the glomeruli. And only part of the individual glomeruli is damaged. Untreated, it can lead to kidney failure. In some cases, kidney failure can occur despite treatment.
What is FSGS kidney?
High blood pressure may develop. This damages the kidneys and puts a strain on the heart and the rest of the circulation.