Alports Syndrome

[Lynn White]

Aha !

Thanks Prue!

Lynn

[Lynn White]

Prue..

I have now exchanged emails with Professor Savige and she has confirmed that lenticonus is associated with Alports, not KC. Lenticonus is a bulging forwards of the lens of the eye, pictures of which can be seen at this link.

http://dro.hs.columbia.edu/antlenticonus2.htm

Having said that, she does have 2 patients that have both Alports and KC! Alports can cause dystrophy of the corneal endothelium (swelling of the cells on the back surface of the cornea) but has not been reported as connected with KC directly.

She is not actually doing research into any possible connection.

However, it would still be interesting to know if any other members had kidney problems!

Lynn

[GarethB]

I had kidney problems in 2000 after a visit to the US and that affected my liver too. Spent a whole month off owrk, no cause found but a scan did show swollen kidneys and inflamed liver.

Decemebr 2005 ended up in casualty with sever kidney pain, the months before my GP said I had back problems due to an old injury from a car accident.

Scans and surgery showed no reason why I had the pain but the casualty doc could tell there was a problem in the kidney/urinary area as I was weeing thick blood!

Since changed my diet, reduced salt still further, increased the natural dairy products and thinks been OK. Think I may have got an infection which could cause what I went through.

2000 was still on glasses and the prescription did not change.

The 2005 episode has not affected KC as such, still on same lenses I had in 2004. The only lens issue was that I also burst a blood vessel in my eye in January while having further kidney tests. That just left the eye slightly drier than normal which is now resolved.

Conclusion, my kidney issues I have had, made no difference to my KC.