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Glomerular disease: the signs, the causes, the tests, and the treatment
For anyone just told they have glomerular disease, or one of the diseases that cause it (such as FSGS, lupus nephritis, membranous nephropathy or minimal change disease), anyone waiting on a kidney biopsy, or who saw foamy or cola-colored urine or swelling, and for their families. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the NIH) says glomerular disease is a condition that can damage the kidneys by attacking their tiny filters, the glomeruli, and that it often progresses slowly, causing no symptoms for many years. This page passes on, by name, what NIDDK says: what it is, the causes and who gets it; the signs and what it can lead to; the tests and the kidney biopsy; the kinds of medicine and what happens if the kidneys fail; and food, family, and the research. It builds the words to say and the questions to ask, and prints a card to keep in your wallet.
Right now
- Trouble breathing, chest pain, sudden confusion, or fainting? Call 911 (ours). NIDDK says that in some cases glomerular disease can cause rapid kidney failure that may lead to confusion and death if not treated immediately.
- Peeing very little or not at all, or swelling that comes on fast? Get care right away; if you cannot reach your provider, go to the emergency room, and say you have glomerular disease (ours).
- Foamy, pink, red or cola-colored urine, or fast weight gain? Call a provider and say what you saw and when (ours).
- Worn down, or thinking of ending your life? Call or text 988, any hour (ours).
More help
- The kidneys, on this site: Kidney disease · Nephrotic syndrome · IgA nephropathy · Kidneys, bladder and urine: find the right page · Blood in the urine.
- Tests: Getting ready for a kidney biopsy · Medical tests: find the right page.
- Some of the causes: Diabetes · Lupus · Sleep apnea · HIV · Hepatitis.
- Related: High blood pressure · High cholesterol · My medicines list · Get ready for your appointment.
- Care and costs: When you need a doctor and can’t pay · Medical bills.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
Kidneys, bladder or urine, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for bladder infections, kidney stones, blood in the urine, bladder pain, bladder leaks, the prostate, kidney disease and bedwetting, on one list.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 18, 2026 on NIDDK’s (NIH) page Glomerular Disease (last reviewed June 2022), which is in English and in Spanish. The numbers (diabetic kidney disease affects more than 1 in 3 U.S. adults who have diabetes; kidney failure is the loss of about 85% or more of kidney function) are NIDDK’s. Ours: 911 for trouble breathing, chest pain, sudden confusion, or fainting; getting care right away for very little or no urine or swelling that comes on fast; calling a provider about foamy, pink, red or cola-colored urine or fast weight gain; never stopping or changing a prescribed medicine on your own; asking which disease is the cause, and about side effects, relatives and clinical studies; 988 when it is too much; health centers when money is tight; and the order of the steps. What we left out: the references, the list of open studies on ClinicalTrials.gov and the video, and NIDDK’s outside links. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.