Segmental glomerulosclerosis

What it means

Segmental solidification of the glomerular tuft by increased extracellular matrix, causing glomerular capillary obliteration and can include hyalinosis, foam cells, hypertrophy of overlying glomerular epithelial cells, podocyte depletion, halo and adhesion of the tuft to the Bowman capsule.

Glomerular changes can be focal (only in some glomeruli) or diffuse (in all or almost all the glomeruli), and segmental (only a part of the glomerulus) or global (the entire glomerulus).

Rare diseases that can present with this1

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category