Genetically transmitted renal diseases in children: a saudi perspective.

A significant number of renal diseases in children occur as a result of genetic susceptibility. It is believed that such diseases, particularly those with an autosomal recessive transmission, may be more common in places with a high rate of consanguineous marriages as in the Middle East including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Although a comparison of the published literature from the KSA with that from other countries outside the region support such a possibility, too few studies have been published from the region to definitely answer the question. Preliminary observations indicate that the children in the Kingdom probably have a higher incidence of polycystic kidney disease, familial juvenile nephronophthisis, congenital urological anomalies and familial nephrotic syndrome. It is reasonable to speculate that whereas some diseases may be common, others may be rare because of a low gene frequency in the local population.