We describe a father and three offspring with hematuria. The father and one girl also complained of flank pain. Renal function
tests and ophthalmological examinations were normal in all. The father had very mild neural deafness. The renal biopsy samples
of two affected siblings showed changes compatible with thin basement membrane disease. Genetic analysis revealed a novel
missense mutation in exon 32 of COL4A4 to be responsible for the phenotype in this family. We suggest that thin basement membrane
disease may have overlapping clinical features with other causes of hematuria; genetic analysis may help in the differential
diagnosis and help us further understand the disease processes.
Keywords Familial benign hematuria - Phenotype - COL4A4
Received: 29 January 2001 / Revised: 5 June 2001 / Accepted: 6 June 2001