SCREENING POTENTIAL RELATED TRANSPLANT DONORS FOR RENAL DISEASE

Abstract

The families of two hundred potential renal-transplant recipients were studied for evidence of renal disease. Eighteen of the two hundred families had other members with familial renal disease (polycystic, medullary cystic, hereditary nephritis, Fabry's disease). Thirty of the one hundred and eighty-two remaining families had had at least one member die of renal disease or require a renal transplant, hæmodialysis, or nephrectomy. Thus, a total of 22% of the families of patients with renal failure had a history of renal failure in other members. 209 potential related donors were studied. 10.5% of the women and 5% of the men had persistent bacteriuria; 12 had hypertension and 47 had abnormal intravenous pyelograms, 41 of these had associated urinary abnormalities. 82 of 193 arteriograms were abnormal, and 17 of the abnormal arteriograms revealed other renal abnormalities. Medical contraindications ultimately excluded 40 relatives from donation. It is suggested that apparently healthy symptom-free relatives of patients with terminal renal failure will have an extremely high frequency of underlying renal disease. Such persons might comprise a suitable population for intensive screening for asymptomatic renal disease within the population. This group might also be a suitable study group for evaluating techniques for prevention of progressive renal disease.