Alport's Syndrome in Pregnancy.

ABSTRACT

Background. Alport's syndrome is an X-linked hereditary disorder affecting the glomerular basement membrane associated with ocular and hearing defects. In women, the disease is much less severe compared to that in men. However, women with Alport's syndrome can have an accelerated form of their disease during pregnancy with worsening of kidney function and can also develop preeclampsia. There are only four described cases of Alport's syndrome in pregnancy. Case Presentation. 20-year-old woman with a history of Alport's syndrome, which during pregnancy worsened resulting in hypertension, proteinuria, and acute kidney injury. Fortunately, there was complete resolution of the proteinuria and kidney injury with delivery, and the patient did not require any renal replacement therapy. Conclusion. One of the four reported cases had an accelerated form of the disease during pregnancy with rapid progression of kidney injury and end-stage renal disease. There are no definite guidelines to monitor these patients during pregnancy. Further studies are required to understand the exact pathophysiology of kidney damage that occurs in pregnant women with Alport's syndrome. This may give us some insight into the prognostic predictors, so that we can monitor these women more thoroughly and prevent adverse outcomes.