The extent of kidney involvement in paediatric tuberous sclerosis complex

Tuberous sclerosis (TSC)-associated kidney disease is a leading cause of mortality in adults with TSC. This study aimed to understand TSC features in children, particularly kidney involvement, to inform clinical care for this specific group.

This retrospective cohort study included all paediatric (< 19 years) TSC cases at a large tertiary paediatric nephrology centre. Relevant data were collected from patients' records, statistical analyses were performed to identify associations between variables, survival probabilities were estimated with Kaplan‒Meier curves, and log-rank tests were conducted to assess survival differences among genetic mutations.

A total of 182 children with TSC were included. Among the 145 children with available kidney imaging data, 78.6% (114/145) exhibited kidney lesions. Angiomyolipomas (AMLs) were significantly more prevalent in the TSC2 mutation group (p = 0.018). Children with TSC2 mutations generally had poorer lesion-free survival than those with TSC1 mutations, but this difference was only significant for AMLs (p = 0.030). The change in size of largest AMLs increased with age and doubled in children above 9 years; a similar pattern was observed when stratified by genetic mutation. In contrast, kidney cysts exhibited two peaks: one in children under 5 years (2.31 mm/year) and the second in children between 15-19 years (2.82 mm/year). Chronic kidney disease was observed in 12.3% (10/81) of children, and high-risk AMLs above 3 cm were observed in 9% (13/145).

While TSC kidney disease emerges later in the disease course than neurological features, our findings emphasise the importance of kidney surveillance during childhood, including routine kidney imaging, kidney function, and blood pressure monitoring.