Molecular diagnostic results of a nephropathy gene panel in patients with suspected hereditary kidney disease

Clinical diagnosis of hereditary kidney disease can be difficult because of its rarity and severe phenotypic variability. Identifying mutated causative genes can provide diagnostic and prognostic information. In this study, we report the clinical application and outcome of a next-generation sequencing-based, targeted multi-gene panel test for the genetic diagnosis of patients with hereditary kidney disease.

A total of 145 patients evaluated for hereditary kidney disease who underwent a nephropathy panel with 44 different genes were retrospectively reviewed and included in the study.

Genetic diagnosis of other hereditary kidney diseases, particularly autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, was made in 48% of patients. The nephropathy panel changed the preliminary diagnosis in 6% of patients. The variants in 18 (12%) patients had not been previously reported in the literature.

This study demonstrates the utility of the nephropathy panel in identifying patients diagnosed with hereditary kidney disease who are referred for genetic testing. A contribution was made to the variant spectrum of genes associated with hereditary kidney disease.