The risks of thin basement membrane nephropathy

Abstract

Most individuals with thin basement membrane nephropathy (TBMN) have an excellent prognosis. For these patients, the only hazards are the anxiety related to misconceptions about the diagnosis and the inconvenience, expense, and wastefulness of unnecessary investigations. However, there also are specific genetic implications for individuals with TBMN because, on average, half their offspring inherit the causative mutations and most of these have hematuria. In addition, despite the generally excellent outcome, some individuals with TBMN develop hypertension, proteinuria, or renal impairment. In some cases, renal failure is caused by apparently progressive but otherwise uncomplicated TBMN, and ..