Renal glycosuria is the excretion of glucose into the urine in people who do not have diabetes or changes in blood sugar levels. Renal glycosuria is generally more common in patients with renal disorders, such as Wilson's disease or Cystinosis, but it can also be a hereditary problem, called familial renal glycosuria, which passes from parents to children.
Normally, the kidneys filter the blood, eliminating all substances that are not necessary for the functioning of the body, while glucose is reabsorbed by the blood due to its importance in energy production, however, people with renal glycosuria do not reabsorb glucose, which causes it to be eliminated in the urine.
Renal glycosuria has no symptoms because, in most cases, it is a benign change and, therefore, treatment is not always necessary, and a completely normal life can be achieved.
Causes of glucose in the urine
In addition to renal glycosuria, glucose in the urine may be present in other situations, such as:
- Diabetes mellitus; Gestational diabetes; Pancreatitis; Cushing's syndrome; Pancreatic cancer; Pheochromocytoma; Stress.
In addition to having glucose in the urine, people with any of these conditions usually have increased blood glucose levels, unlike what happens in kidney glycosuria, where blood glucose levels are normal.
Other conditions that lead to the appearance of glucose in the urine and that have a renal relationship are osteomalacia, Wilson's disease, cystinosis, chronic renal failure and Fanconi Syndrome, which is a rare genetic disease in which there is progressive cord failure bone and there may be renal impairment. Learn how to identify Fanconi's disease.
Treatment for renal glycosuria
Treatment for renal glycosuria should be guided by a nephrologist because tests such as MRI or urine tests are necessary to detect if there are any kidney problems that require specific treatment.
In other cases, no type of treatment is necessary and only regular urine and blood tests are recommended by the doctor to assess the evolution of the problem, since there is a greater risk of the patient developing diabetes.
Diagnosis of Renal Glycosuria
The diagnosis of renal glycosuria is made through a urine test, which detects the presence of glucose. This examination can be carried out in a clinical analysis laboratory or in the hospital, with materials and strips available in pharmacies.
Normally, when the patient is diagnosed with renal glycosuria, the doctor requests a blood test to check the concentration of glucose in the blood and thus rule out diabetes, for example.
