Medullary Cystic Kidney Disease/Nephronophthisis

Important
It is possible that the main title of the report Medullary Cystic Kidney Disease/Nephronophthisis is not the name you expected. Please check the synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and disorder subdivision(s) covered by this report.

Synonyms

Renal-Retinal Dysplasia with Medullary Cystic Disease
Cystic Disease of the Renal Medulla
Cysts of the Renal Medulla, Congenital
Polycystic Kidney Disease, Medullary Type
Uromodulin Associated Kidney Disease
Familial Juvenile Hyperuricemic Nephropathy
Loken-Senior Syndrome

Disorder Subdivisions

Nephronophthisis
Medullary Cystic Kidney Disease

General Discussion

Medullary cystic kidney disease/nephronophthisis describes a number of different conditions that have the following features in common:

(1) They are inherited.
(2) Kidney disease develops, and dialysis or kidney transplant is required for treatment at some point.
(3) Affected individuals sometimes, but not always, produce very large amounts of urine over the course of the day and may suffer from bed-wetting.
(4) CAT scans or ultrasounds identify cysts in the middle (medulla) of the kidney in some, but not all, patients.
(5) Gout develops in some types of this disease.

These diseases can be divided into two groups or subtypes.

The first group, termed nephronophthisis, is characterized by an autosomal recessive inheritance. This means that affected children must inherit two genes for the disease that have a mistake (mutation) in them. There are at least four types of nephronophthisis. All four types are associated with the production of large amoungs of urine. All four types are associated with the production of large amounts of urine early in life and bedwetting. In type 1, kidney failure develops at about age 13. In type 2, kidney failure usually develops from 1 to three years of age. In type 3, kidney failure develops at about age 19, and in type 4, kidney failure develops in the teenage years. In addition, about 15 percent of people with nephronophthisis also experience visual impairment caused by degeneration of the retina of the eyes (renal-retinal dysplasia).

The second group, termed medullary cystic kidney disease, is characterized by autosomal dominant inheritance. There are at least two types of medullary cystic kidney disease, and kidney failure develops between ages 30 and 70. Gout is frequently present in medullary cystic kidney disease type 2. [For more information on this disorder, see the section on familial juvenile hyperuricemic nephropathy, which is the same disease.]

Resources

March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
1275 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains, NY 10605
Tel: (914)428-7100
Fax: (914)997-4763
Tel: (888)663-4637
Email: Askus@marchofdimes.com
Internet: http://www.marchofdimes.com

American Kidney Fund, Inc.
6110 Executive Boulevard
Suite 1010
Rockville, MD 20852
USA
Tel: 3018813052
Fax: 3018810898
Tel: 8006388299
Email: helpline@kindeyfund.org
Internet: http://www.kidneyfund.org

National Kidney Foundation
30 East 33rd Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212)889-2210
Fax: (212)689-9261
Tel: (800)622-9010
Email: info@kidney.org
Internet: http://www.kidney.org

American Urological Association Foundation
1000 Corporate Blvd.
Linthicum, MD 21090
USA
Tel: 4106893700
Fax: 4106893800
Tel: 8667464282
Email: auafoundation@auafoundation.org
Internet: http://www.auafoundation.org

NIH/National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
3 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892-3580
Tel: (800)891-5390
Email: nkudic@info.niddk.nih.gov
Internet: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/

For a Complete Report

This is an abstract of a report from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. ® (NORD). A copy of the complete report can be obtained for a small fee by visiting the NORD website. The complete report contains additional information including symptoms, causes, affected population, related disorders, standard and investigational treatments (if available), and references from medical literature. For a full-text version of this topic, see http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdblist.html

The information provided in this report is not intended for diagnostic purposes. It is provided for informational purposes only. NORD recommends that affected individuals seek the advice or counsel of their own personal physicians.
It is possible that the title of this topic is not the name you selected. Please check the Synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and Disorder Subdivision(s) covered by this report.
This disease entry is based upon medical information available through the date at the end of the topic. Since NORD's resources are limited, it is not possible to keep every entry in the Rare Disease Database completely current and accurate. Please check with the agencies listed in the Resources section for the most current information about this disorder.
For additional information and assistance about rare disorders, please contact the National Organization for Rare Disorders at P.O. Box 1968, Danbury, CT 06813-1968; phone (203) 744-0100; web site www.rarediseases.org or email orphan@rarediseases.org
Last Updated: 2/3/2008
Copyright 1986, 1990, 1994, 2004 National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.

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