Nephrotic syndrome due to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis: long-term outcomes

Lessons learned over 25 years from treating focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in a regional pediatric nephrology program will be reviewed. In a cohort of children with biopsy-proven FSGS, consisting of a large percentage of African-American patients, the clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes are different from previously published data on mostly white children with the same condition. Because Asian and African children with nephrotic syndrome have the same higher incidence of FSGS, it is possible that Chinese children with FSGS have clinical characteristics, therapeutic responses, and long-term outcomes similar to African-American children as reviewed in this article.