Histological image of a normal kidney glomerulus. It is possible to see a glomerulus in the centre of the image surrounded by kidney tubules.<unk>  has many causes and may either be the result of a glomerular disease that can be either limited to the kidney, called primary<unk>  (primary glomerulonephrosis), or a condition that affects the kidney and other parts of the body, called secondary<unk> . Primary glomerulonephrosis Primary causes of<unk>  are usually described by their histology: * Minimal change disease (MCD): is the most common cause of<unk>  in children. It owes its name to the fact that the nephrons appear normal when viewed with an optical microscope as the lesions are only visible using an electron microscope. Another symptom is pronounced proteinuria. * Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS): is the most common cause of<unk>  in adults. It is characterized by the appearance of tissue scarring in the glomeruli. The term focal is used as some of the glomeruli have scars, while others appear intact; the term segmental refers to the fact that only part of the glomerulus suffers the damage. * Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN): The inflammation of the glomerular membrane causes increased leaking in the kidney. It is not clear why this condition develops in most people, although an auto-immune mechanism is suspected. * Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN): is the inflammation of the glomeruli along with the deposit of antibodies in their membranes, which makes filtration difficult. * Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN): (Usually presents as a<unk>  A person's glomeruli are present in a crescent moon shape. It is characterized clinically by a rapid decrease in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by at least 50% over a short period, usually from a few days to 3 months. They are considered to be "diagnoses of exclusion", i.e. they are diagnosed only after secondary causes have been excluded. Secondary glomerulonephrosis Diabetic glomerulonephritis in a person with<unk> . Secondary causes of<unk>  have the same histologic patterns as the primary causes, though they may exhibit some differences suggesting a secondary cause, such as inclusion bodies. They are usually described by the underlying cause, such as: * Diabetic nephropathy: is a complication that occurs in some diabetics. Excess blood sugar accumulates in the kidney causing them to become inflamed and unable to carry out their normal function. This leads to the leakage of proteins into the urine. * Systemic lupus erythematosus: this autoimmune disease can affect a number of organs, among them the kidney, due to the deposit of immunocomplexes that are typical to this disease. The disease can also cause lupus nephritis. * Sarcoidosis: This disease does not usually affect the kidney but, on occasions, the accumulation of inflammatory granulomas (collection of immune cells) in the glomeruli can lead to<unk> . * Syphilis: kidney damage can occur during the secondary stage of this disease (between 2 and 8 weeks from onset). * Hepatitis B: certain antigens present during hepatitis can accumulate in the kidneys and damage them. * Sjögren's syndrome: this autoimmune disease causes the deposit of immunocomplexes in the glomeruli, causing them to become inflamed, this is the same mechanism as occurs in systemic lupus erythematosus. * HIV: the virus's antigens provoke an obstruction in the glomerular capillary's lumen that alters normal kidney function. * Amyloidosis: the deposit of amyloid substances (proteins with anomalous structures) in the glomeruli modifying their shape and function. * Multiple myeloma: kidney impairment is caused by the accumulation and precipitation of light chains, which form casts in the distal tubules, resulting in kidney obstruction. In addition, myeloma light chains are also directly toxic on proximal kidney tubules, further adding to kidney dysfunction. * Vasculitis: inflammation of the blood vessels at a glomerular level impedes the normal blood flow and damages the kidney. * Cancer: as happens in myeloma, the invasion of the glomeruli by cancerous cells disturbs their normal functioning. * Genetic disorders: congenital<unk>  is a rare genetic disorder in which the protein nephrin, a component of the glomerular filtration barrier, is altered. * Drugs ( e.g. gold salts, penicillin, captopril): gold salts can cause a more or less important loss of proteins in urine as a consequence of metal accumulation. Penicillin is nephrotoxic in people with kidney failure and captopril can aggravate proteinuria. By histologic pattern Membranous nephropathy (MN) * Sjögren's syndrome * Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) * Diabetes mellitus * Sarcoidosis * Drugs (such as corticosteroids, gold, intravenous heroin) * Malignancy (cancer) * Bacterial infections, e.g. leprosy & syphilis * Protozoal infections, e.g. malaria Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) * Hypertensive nephrosclerosis * HIV * Obesity * Kidney loss Minimal change disease (MCD) * Drugs, especially<unk> AIDs in the elderly * Malignancy, especially Hodgkin's lymphoma * Allergy * Bee sting Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis * Hepatitis C Genetics Over 50 mutations are known to be associated with this condition.
Nephrotic syndrome
HIV-associated nephropathy
Lupus nephritis
Nephritic syndrome
Budd–Chiari syndrome
EAST syndrome
Hepatorenal syndrome
Hypertensive kidney disease