Intermittent Benign Renal Hematuria

Thirty‐one patients with focal glomerular changes in the renal biopsy are reported. Focal glomerular lesions have been seen in the following diseases: benign recurrent hematuria (19 patients), systemic lupus erythematosus (7 patients), nephrotic syndrome (2 patients), Henoch‐Schönlein's purpura (1 patient), sarcoidosis (1 patient), systemic disease with myocarditis (1 patient). Focal glomerulonephritis is a pathological diagnosis and should be avoided in clinical classification. To retain this term in the histologic classification of renal diseases is in our opinion debatable, due to the fact that the term might convey the impression that focal glomerulonephritis is a specific disease entity. To discuss common etiological factors for this group of diseases seems irrelevant. The task for the pathologist is to demonstrate differential findings in the biopsies that might be of value for the clinical differentiation of the diseases that can show focal glomerular changes on light microscopy of the renal biopsy.