Kids Kidney Research

Finding out what causes childhood renal artery stenosis

High blood pressure in children is usually the result of defined disorders of the kidney and hormonal systems. Renal artery stenosis (RAS) describes a critical narrowing of renal arteries, which supply blood to the kidneys. It is most commonly associated with a malformation of the main kidney artery, called ‘fibromuscular dysplasia’ (FMD). The affected kidneys make excess hormones, which increase blood pressure causing potentially fatal effects on diverse organs. RAS/FMD is a disorder of arterial wall maturation and it can run in families.  This study will focus on thirty individuals affected by RAS/FMD who have been cared for at Great Ormond Street Hospital to establish a unique genetic resource of DNA from affected UK families, acting as a prelude to further work to define mutations.

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