Genomics in the kidney clinic

Abstract

Inherited diseases are a frequent cause of end-stage kidney disease and often seen in the kidney clinic. Clinical genomic testing is increasingly available in the UK and eligible patients in England can be referred through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service. Testing is useful for diagnosis, prognostication and management of conditions such as autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), Alport syndrome, autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease (ADTKD) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). As more patients undergo genomic testing and newer technologies such as whole genome sequencing are applied, we are developing a greater appreciation of the full phenotypic spectrum of inherited kidney diseases and the challenges associated with the interpretation of clinically significant variants.