
Common Causes
Related Conditions

What is renal glycosuria causes?
The primary cause of renal glycosuria is a harmful change (mutation) in a gene known as “SLC5A2” (also called the renal sodium-glucose cotransporter gene). Many inheritance patterns have been reported for renal glycosuria, and more research is needed to clarify the pattern of inheritance.
What is the most common cause of glucosuria?
Urinary Disorders The most common cause of glucosuria because of hyperglycemia is diabetes mellitus (Table 7-4). If blood glucose concentration is normal, urine should be re-evaluated with both urine dipstick and Clinitest. If glucosuria is still present, proximal renal tubular dysfunction is likely.
Is renal glycosuria serious?
Renal glucosuria has no symptoms or serious consequences. A doctor makes the diagnosis when a routine urine test detects glucose in the urine even though glucose levels in the blood are normal. No treatment is needed.
What causes glucose in urine other than diabetes?
Glycosuria can be caused by high blood sugar levels, kidney disease, a hereditary condition, certain diabetes medications, as well as pregnancy. While glycosuria may not trigger symptoms, the underlying conditions that cause it may lead to other noticeable symptoms.
What meds cause glucosuria?
The interfering drugs include ascorbic acid, beta-lactam antibiotics (e.g., cephalosporins and penicillins), levodopa, and salicylates. Several other drugs may also interfere with certain urine glucose tests, but the interactions are poorly documented.
How is renal glycosuria diagnosed?
A doctor normally can diagnose renal glycosuria when a routine urine test (Urinalysis) detects glucose in the urine, while a blood test indicates that the blood glucose level is normal.
Can glycosuria be cured?
Glycosuria isn't a cause for concern on its own. No treatment is needed if there isn't an underlying condition causing you to pass high amounts of glucose in your urine. If a condition like diabetes is causing your glycosuria, your doctor will work with you to develop a treatment plan.
Can kidney infection cause glucose in urine?
Glucose can also be found in urine when the kidneys are damaged or diseased. Nitrites. Bacteria that cause a urinary tract infection (UTI) make an enzyme that changes urinary nitrates to nitrites.
How do you stop Glucosuria?
Treatment for glycosuriaReduce the sugar and processed foods in your diet.Eat a diet consisting of mostly whole foods with plenty of vegetables.Reduce carbohydrate consumption to less than 180 grams per day.Drink water and unsweetened beverages instead of soda or juice.Get daily physical activity.Lose weight.More items...•
What is the difference between glycosuria and Glucosuria?
Glycosuria is a term that defines the presence of reducing sugars in the urine, such as glucose, galactose, lactose, fructose, etc. Glucosuria connotes the presence of glucose in the urine and is the most frequent type of glycosuria and is the focus of this review.
What does high levels of glucose in urine indicate?
Normally, urine contains very little or no glucose. But if you have too much glucose in your blood, your kidneys will get rid of some of the extra glucose through your urine. So, a high level of urine glucose may mean that your blood glucose is high, too, and that could be a sign of diabetes.
What are symptoms of sugar in urine?
Routine urine screenings can typically find sugar in the urine. When sugar in the urine is due to diabetes, it sometimes accompanies other symptoms. These symptoms include fatigue, unexplained weight loss, excessive thirst or hunger, and frequent urination.
What causes glycosuria?
Glycosuria is typically caused by an underlying condition that affects your blood sugar level, such as diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common cause of glycosuria. If you have this condition, your body’s insulin doesn’t work properly in one of two ways.
How to diagnose glycosuria?
Glycosuria can be diagnosed in a number of ways, but urinalysis is the most common approach.
Why is my urine not filtered?
Here’s how. Renal glycosuria is a much rarer form of glycosuria. This happens when your kidney’s renal tubules — the parts of the kidneys that act as filters in your urinary system — don’t filter blood sugar out of your urine properly. This condition is often caused by a mutation in a specific gene.
Why does blood sugar go out of your urine?
This often happens because you have an abnormally high level of glucose in your blood ( hyperglycemia ).
How to treat glycosuria?
If your glycosuria is caused by diabetes, your outlook improves if you maintain a consistent treatment or management plan. Eating well, exercising every day, and taking any medications that your doctor prescribes can keep you from experiencing any additional complications .
Can you pass out blood sugar in urine?
This can cause blood sugar to be passed out in your urine instead. In other cases, your body doesn’t make enough insulin to balance your blood sugar levels. Any excess blood sugar is passed out through your urine. Glycosuria can also happen if you develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy. This type of diabetes happens when hormones ...
Can you get diabetes if you have glycosuria?
The outlook for glycosuria without an associated condition is good. If you have renal glycosuria, you may go on to develop diabetes if you don’t follow a treatment plan to help manage your kidneys’ inability to properly filter glucose.
What is renal glycosuria?
Renal glycosuria is a rare condition in which glucose is excreted in the urine despite normal or low blood glucose levels. With normal kidney function, glucose is excreted in the urine only when there are abnormally elevated levels of glucose in the blood. However, in people with renal glycosuria, glucose is abnormally eliminated in ...
Why is glucose eliminated in urine?
However, in people with renal glycosuria, glucose is abnormally eliminated in the urine due to improper functioning of the renal tubules, which are the primary components of the filtering units of the kidneys. [1] . In most people with renal glycosuria, there are no apparent symptoms or serious effects. Rare cases of polyuria (increased urine ...
Can renal glycosuria cause diabetes?
In most affected individuals, no treatment is required. However, some individuals with renal glycosuria may develop diabetes mellitus. Therefore, appropriate testing should be conducted to rule out diabetes and to regularly monitor those with confirmed renal glycosuria. [1]
What is renal glycosuria?
Renal glycosuria is a rare condition in which the simple sugar glucose is excreted in the urine despite normal or low blood glucose levels. With normal kidney (renal) function, glucose is excreted in the urine only when there are abnormally elevated levels of glucose in the blood.
How to diagnose renal glycosuria?
A doctor normally can diagnose renal glycosuria when a routine urine test ( Urinalysis) detects glucose in the urine, while a blood test indicates that the blood glucose level is normal.
What is the condition where glucose is excreted in the urine?
Renal glycosuria. Renal glycosuria is a rare condition in which the simple sugar glucose is excreted in the urine despite normal or low blood glucose levels. With normal kidney (renal) function, glucose is excreted in the urine only when there are abnormally elevated levels of glucose in the blood. However, in those with renal glycosuria, glucose ...
Why is glucose elevated in urine?
However, in those with renal glycosuria, glucose is abnormally elevated in the urine due to improper functioning of the renal tubules, which are primary components of nephrons, the filtering units of the kidneys.
What can help with sugar excretion?
Managing diabetes, hyperthyroidism and regular kidney function tests can help in reducing excretion of sugars in urine.
Is renal glycosuria inherited?
When renal glycosuria occurs as an isolated finding with otherwise normal kidney function, the condition is thought to be inherited as an autosomal recessive trait .
What is renal glycosuria?
Renal glycosuria is a rare inherited condition where your body eliminates sugar in your urine even though your blood levels are normal. In this condition, you don’t have too much glucose but your body gets rid of it anyway.
Why does diabetes cause glycosuria?
Diabetes causes glycosuria because there either isn’t enough insulin, or your body can’t use what's available. WIthout insulin, blood glucose levels become too high, and your kidneys can’t filter and reabsorb it. Your body gets rid of the excess through your urine .
What happens when you have too much glucose in your urine?
In healthy people, your kidneys filter the glucose and reabsorb most of it back into your blood.
What is it called when you can't make enough insulin?
Diabetes, called diabetes mellitus, is a condition where your body can’t make enough insulin or use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that regulates how much glucose is in your blood.
Why does my kidney have a defect?
It is caused by gene changes that lead to defects in your kidney tubules where glucose is absorbed. Renal glycosuria usually doesn’t have any symptoms and doesn’t need treatment.
What is gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that happens during pregnancy. Your body needs a lot of energy as your baby grows, but sometimes it can’t keep up with demand and doesn't make enough insulin.
What is the cause of diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes. In this type, your body becomes resistant to insulin and doesn’t respond to the hormone, which causes problems using glucose. Obesity and weight gain are major factors in getting type 2 diabetes. It often develops later in life, but children who have obesity can also get type 2 diabetes.
What is renal glycosuria?
Renal glycosuria is a genetic or acquired condition. It occurs when damaged kidneys are unable to filter sugar or other substances out of the urine properly.
Why does glycosuria occur?
It typically occurs due to high blood sugar levels or kidney damage. Glycosuria is a common symptom of both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Renal glycosuria occurs when a person’s kidneys are damaged. It is a rare condition that develops when a person’s blood sugar levels are normal, but the kidneys are unable to retain glucose.
Why does a woman have glucose in her urine?
During pregnancy, a woman may have glucose in her urine. This is because the kidneys allow more glucose to leave the body during pregnancy. This means that glycosuria is not a suitable method for diagnosing gestational diabetes. Instead, doctors diagnose gestational diabetes using blood tests.
How to tell if you have diabetes or glycosuria?
In many cases, this is a red flag for previously undiagnosed diabetes. Doctors measure how much glucose is in the urine by testing a urine sample. If undiagnosed and untreated, glycosuria may cause the following symptoms: extreme hunger. extreme thirst or dehydration.
What is it called when you have more glucose in your urine?
Glycosuria occurs when the urine contains more glucose than it should.
Why does diabetes cause glycosuria?
As a result, the body is unable to control glucose levels well. When the blood sugar spikes, it can cause blood glucose to enter the urine, causing glycosuria. Type 1 diabetes develops due to progressive destruction of specific cells in the pancreas, which results in decreased insulin production. When there is not enough insulin in ...
How to treat diabetes?
Possible treatment options for diabetes include: 1 changing the diet to include more fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins 2 doing regular exercise 3 taking oral or injectable medications for type 2 diabetes 4 injecting insulin daily for all people with type 1 diabetes and some people with type 2 diabetes 5 tracking blood sugar levels to understand how food, therapies, and activity affect them
Why does glucosuria occur in the urine?
This happens because of a defect in the tubular cells of the kidneys that decreases the reabsorption of glucose. Some forms of renal glucosuria are hereditary, causing glucosuria alone or as part of Fanconi syndrome.
What is the name of the condition where glucose is excreted in the urine?
In renal glucosuria, glucose (sugar) is excreted in the urine, despite normal or low glucose levels in the blood.
What is the inflammation of the kidneys?
The kidneys contain tubules, which are structures in the kidneys that are involved in filtering fluids. Tubulointerstitial nephritis is inflammation that affects the tubules and the tissue surrounding them, called “interstitial tissue.” Onset of tubulointerstitial nephritis may be acute (sudden) or chronic (gradual) and often results in kidney failure. Which of the following is the most common cause of acute tubulointerstitial nephritis ?
What is the glomeruli in the kidney?
Glomeruli are clusters of tiny blood vessels in the kidneys containing pores that filter blood. In patients with nephrotic syndrome the glomeruli do not function properly and cause excessive protein excretion into the urine. Excessive protein excretion in turn may lead to fluid accumulation, low levels of the protein albumin in the blood, and high levels of blood fats. There are several causes of nephrotic syndrome, including which of the following?
Is glucosuria hereditary?
Some forms of renal glucosuria are hereditary, causing glucosuria alone or as part of Fanconi syndrome . The acquired form can be caused by certain drugs or diseases that damage the kidney tubules. Renal glucosuria has no symptoms or serious consequences.
What is renal glucosuria?
Renal glucosuria is the excretion of glucose in the urine in the presence of normal plasma glucose levels.
What is the test used to determine if a glucose is excreted?
Some experts require a normal result on an oral glucose tolerance test for the diagnosis.
Is renal glucosuria asymptomatic?
Renal glucosuria is asymptomatic and without serious sequelae. However, if there is an associated generalized defect in proximal tubular function, symptoms and signs may include hypophosphatemic rickets, volume depletion, short stature, muscle hypotonia, and ocular changes of cataracts or glaucoma (oculocerebrorenal syndrome) or Kayser-Fleischer rings (Wilson disease). With such findings, transport defects other than glucosuria should be sought.
Can glucosuria be a systemic disorder?
Renal glucosuria may occur without any other abnormalities of renal function or as part of a generalized defect in proximal tubule function ( Fanconi syndrome ). It also may occur with various systemic disorders, including cystinosis, Wilson disease, hereditary tyrosinemia, and oculocerebrorenal syndrome (Lowe syndrome).
What is glycosuria?
Glycosuria is a term to describe the presence of glucose (sugar) in your urine — which can be tested easily with a urine sample at your next appointment with your primary healthcare team.
Why does my kidney have a leaky filter?
Your kidneys then struggle to filter properly because other things — like protein albumin — are able to get through those holes.
What happens when blood sugar is high?
When your blood sugar levels are high (either short-term or long-term), the renal tubes in your kidneys simply cannot absorb all of that glucose present, so the excess glucose inevitably passes through your urine.
How often should you have your glucose level checked?
For people with any type of diabetes — and especially women with diabetes who are pregnant — having the glucose levels of your urine tested at least once a year is important. There are four likely causes of glycosuria in people with diabetes:
How much glucose does a human body excrete?
It is normal for a healthy adult to excrete some glucose through your urine — about 65 milligrams of glucose per day — because while your kidneys absorb most of the glucose that passes through, it cannot absorb all of it.
What is the function of the renal tubes in the kidneys?
Normally, the renal tubes in your kidneys act as a filter to remove excess glucose from your system before it passes through to your urine.
Is diabetes related to kidney disease?
In people with diabetes, however, it is most likely related to diabetic kidney disease or “nephropathy.”
Glycosuria in Diabetes
Diabetes is when the body fails to make enough insulin or use insulin. Insulin controls the amount of glucose present in the blood.
Glycosuria Signs
A person may remain unaware of glycosuria until a urine test is done. Few types such as renal and gestational glycosuria do not present signs. With time, if is left untreated, it may cause symptoms:
Glycosuria Diagnosis
Diagnosis can be done in several ways. Urinalysis is the most common one.
Glycosuria Treatment
The glycosuria treatment depends on the cause. A best diabetes management is seen with lifestyle changes and medicines. Treatments may be:
FAQs
When there’s an excess of glucose in the blood, kidney work harder to remove it. This occurs if a person is diabetic. And, forces them to produce more urine.
References
The information included at this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional. Because of unique individual needs, the reader should consult their physician to determine the appropriateness of the information for the reader’s situation.

Overview
Presence of glucose in the urine.
Signs and symptoms
Genetics
Diagnosis
Renal glycosuria is a rare condition in which the simple sugar glucose is excreted in the urine despite normal or low blood glucose levels. With normal kidney (renal) function, glucose is excreted in the urine only when there are abnormally elevated levels of glucose in the blood. However, in those with renal glycosuria, glucose is abnormally elevated in the urine due to improper functioning of the …
Treatment
In most affected individuals, the condition causes no apparent symptoms (asymptomatic) or serious effects. When renal glycosuria occurs as an isolated finding with otherwise normal kidney function, the condition is thought to be inherited as an autosomal recessive trait .
See also
It is associated with SLC5A2, coding the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2.
External links
A doctor normally can diagnose renal glycosuria when a routine urine test (Urinalysis) detects glucose in the urine, while a blood test indicates that the blood glucose level is normal.