Pathogenesis (disease development)
The exact mechanisms of the development of focal segmental sclerosing glomerulonephritis are not clear. A primary form can be distinguished from a secondary form. The triggers of the primary form are mutations in various renal genes, whereas those of the secondary form are diverse.
Etiology (Causes)
Biographic causes
- Genetic burden
- Genetic in about 30% of cases (congenital podocyte diseases).
- Mutations in the calcium channel TRPC6, in which there is hyperfunction of TRPC6 as a result of calcium channel activation (so-called gain-of-function mutations).
- Skin type – dark skinned
Behavioral causes
- Heroin use
- Abuse of anabolic steroids
- Overweight (BMI ≥ 25; obesity).
Disease-related causes
- Obesity (obesity) with sleep apnea syndrome (breathing pauses during sleep).
- Autoimmune diseases such as sarcoidosis – disease involving connective tissue – or scleroderma – disease involving skin and connective tissue.
- Cholesterol emboli
- Diabetes mellitus
- HIV infection
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Malignancies (malignant diseases)
- Nephropathies (kidney diseases), chronic, with nephron loss (the nephron is the smallest filtration unit of the kidney) (> 70%).
- Reflux nephropathy – kidney damage due to reflux of urine from the bladder into the kidney.
Operations
- After nephrectomy (removal of a kidney).
- After kidney transplantation
