FSGS Kidney Disease, or Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, is one type of
autoimmune disease. People with this disorder often show no symptoms unless
progressive damage to the kidneys severely interferes with their normal
function. There are certain symptoms that go along with development of FSGS, one
of which is weight gain.
What causes weight gain in FSGS Kidney Disease?
Normally, the kidneys are responsible for filtering the blood to remove waste
products and produce urine. There are millions of tiny filtering units in the
kidneys called glomeruli. The glomeruli's responsibility is to help filter out
unnecessary or harmful substances from the body, while keep blood cells and
other things like protein within the blood.
When someone has FSGS Kidney Disease due to immune dysfunction, some of the
glomeruli become damaged and become scarred. In this case, they cannot work
properly, and proteins can be released into the urine.
The kidney's leaking protein can lead to Nephrotic Syndrome. This leads to
low protein levels in the blood, which means that fluid is shifted out of
vessels into tissues. Consequently, this causes puffiness, particularly around
the eyes, abdomen, feet and legs, and weight gain. In medical terms, this
puffiness is called oedema.
Conventionally, steroids and immunosuppressive medicines are used to treat
FSGS kidney disease. Under these treatments, patients' health may improve for a
while, but many persons do not respond very well to the treatment. In other who
respond, the symptoms often come back. This is called a relapse.
Over time, more and more parts of the glomeruli will become scarred, which
affects the overall kidney function. Eventually, sufferers may develop into
irreversible Renal Failure. More than 50% of people with the disease will
develop Chronic Kidney Failure within 10 years.
In China, a new therapy known as Immunotherapy, has been developed and used
in clinic to successfully stop the progression of FSGS Kidney Disease and
restore the kidney function.