It is still unknown whether renal vascular lesions (RVL) on renal biopsies are due to the cause of renal disease or to vascular risk factors. The histological features of 184 patients with primary renal disease ( 59 cases of IgA nephropathy, 17 cases of minimal change nephropathy, 33 cases of membranous nephropathy, 38 cases of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and 37 cases of interstitial nephropathy) diagnosed by renal biopsy between 1985 and 1999 were reviewed. Each renal biopsy was reexamined using histologic classification of vascular lesions as follow : arteriosclerosis (RVL1), arteriolar hyalinosis (RVL2), moderate interstitial lesions ( MIL=< 20% of biopsy surface), severe interstitial lesions (SIL=>40%). Risk factors studied at the time of renal biopsy were as follow : age, smoking (current, former or no smokers), controlled BP (< 140/90 mmHg) or uncontrolled BP, dyslipidemia, obesity (BMI > 27kg/m2), proteinuria > 1g/24h, diabete (without diabetic nephropathy). In univariate analysis, age, current smoker, controlled BP, uncontrolled BP, diabete, obesity, MIL and SIL were significantly associated to RVL (RVL1 and/or RVL2). Multivariate analysis was as follow : 1) RVL were only associated with age (.0013), 2) RVL1 were associated with age (.0013), current smoker (.050), 3)RVL2 were associated with gender (.0033), renal failure (Cockroft clearance < 60 ml/mn) (.0089), 4) Independent predictors a) for RVL1 were current smoking (OR=2,8, IC95%:1-7,8),age (OR=1,04, IC95% 1,01-1,06), controlled BP (at the limit of significance : OR 2,6 IC95%:0.999-7,14)b) for RVL2 female sex was a protector factor (OR=0,30, IC95%:0,13-0,67). These results suggest that smoking is probably a major risk factor for developping renal vascular lesions in patients with primary renal disease.