The condition existing in the patient whom we are about to describe is usually referred to in medical literature as renal glycosuria. In addition to this term, the literature contains several designations which have reference to the same symptom-complex. John1 objects
to the term renal glycosuria because "all glycosuria is renal in origin, depending upon the renal threshold as well as the glycemic level"; he suggests the term nondiabetic glycosuria. Umber and Rosenberg2 speak of renal diabetes or glycosuria innocens. Cyclic renal glycosuria or cyclic glycosuria is a subgroup of renal glycosuria described by Jonas3 and Faber.4 Benign glycosuria is a group term including the glycosurias of nondiabetic origin.
The diagnosis of renal glycosuria may be made in cases in which there exists a chronic, nonprogressive, apparently harmless glycosuria without the symptoms of diabetes and without hyperglycemia in the fasting or postabsorptive states. The renal threshold