Alport syndrome
Keyword(s):
Type Iv
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Alport syndrome is an inherited renal disorder characterized by early haematuria, progressing to proteinuria, sensorineural hearing loss, and progressive renal failure typically in the third or fourth decade but with wide variation. It is responsible for about 1% of end-stage renal failure. Over 80% of cases are X-linked and young men are most affected, but heterozygous carriers of the abnormal gene are also at significantly increased risk of end-stage renal failure in their lifetime. Those affected by the autosomal recessive variant are phenotypically very similar. It is caused by mutations in tissue-specific isoforms of basement membrane (type IV) collagen encoded by COL4A5 (X chromosome), COL4A3, and COL4A4 (chromosome 2).