Significance of renal hyaline arteriolosclerosis in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

The renal biopsy findings of 60 adults with idiopathic focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) were reviewed in order to determine the clinicopathological significance of renal hyaline arteriolosclerosis (HA) in FSGS. 36 biopsies (60%) exhibited a definite HA [HA (+)] in association with high levels of proteinuria (p less than 0.0024) and serum creatinine (p less than 0.0316) and a high frequency of global sclerosis (p less than 0.0014) when compared to the remaining 24 biopsies without definite HA [HA (-)]. 14 (39%) of these HA (+) biopsies showed continuity of afferent arteriolosclerosis with hyalinosis of the adjacent glomerular axial segmental sclerosis. These results suggest that HA (+) patients with FSGS show more severe disease than HA (-) patients, and there is a possible relationship between FSGS and HA.