| Glomerulosclerosis | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Glomerular sclerosis |
 | |
| Specialty | Nephrology |
Glomerulosclerosis is the 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.
Proteinuria (large amounts of protein in the urine) is one of the signs of glomerulosclerosis. Scarring disturbs the filtering process of the kidneys and allows protein to leak from the blood into the urine. However, glomerulosclerosis is one of many causes of proteinuria. A kidney biopsy (the removal of a tiny part of the kidney with a needle) may be necessary to determine whether a patient has glomerulosclerosis or another kidney problem. About 15 percent of people with proteinuria turn out to have glomerulosclerosis.
Both children and adults can develop glomerulosclerosis, which can result in different types of kidney conditions. One frequently encountered type of glomerulosclerosis is caused by diabetes. Drug use or infections may cause focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a very chronic kidney condition. FSGS may also occur in patients with AIDS, but most cases are of unknown cause.