There are two types of FSGS:
Primary or idiopathic FSGS occurs without a clear underlying cause. Doctors believe it may be related to factors in the blood that damage the kidney filters. This may be linked to a fault in the immune system, which is the body’s way of protecting itself from infection.
Secondary FSGS occurs because of other factors such as:
- Other medical conditions
- Medications
- Having reduced kidney tissue
- Long-term high blood pressure
- Infections
Some cases of FSGS are due to a genetic mutation that affects the structure of part of the glomerulus in the kidney, which causes the protein leak. Your child’s doctor will talk to you about this and may arrange for a genetic test to be done to see if other family members are affected, but this is very rare.