Fifty years of Balkan endemic nephropathy: daunting questions, elusive answers.
Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) has remained a geographically constant endemic for 50 years. Despite extensive research, its etiology remains unknown. In the current issue, in a study in one of the earliest sites where the endemic was first recognized, Dimitrov et al. confirm the persistance of the endemic into a new generation and also identify a maternal link in the pathogenesis of BEN. This intriguing finding needs to be confirmed in other endemic areas.
Batuman
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Section of Nephrology, Tulane University Medical School, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA. vbatuma@tulane.edu
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001449:Balkan Nephropathy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D001609:Beta-Globulins / Q000032:analysis; D002031:Bulgaria / Q000453:epidemiology; D003031:Coal / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000503:physiopathology
D001609:Beta-Globulins; D003031:Coal