Familial risks of glomerulonephritis: a nationwide family study in Sweden

Objective: Familial risks of glomerulonephritis (acute, chronic and unspecified glomerulonephritis) have not been studied. This study aims to determine the familial risks of glomerulonephritis. Methods: Individuals born from1932 onwards diagnosed with glomerulonephritis (acute [n = 7011], chronic [n = 10,242] and unspecified glomerulonephritis [n = 5762]) were included. The familial risk (Standardized incidence ratio = SIR) was calculated for individuals whose parents/full-siblings were diagnosed with glomerulonephritis compared to those whose parents/full-siblings were not. The procedure was repeated for spouses. Familial concordant risk (same disease in proband and exposed relative) and discordant risk (different disease in proband and exposed relative) of glomerulonephritis were determined. Results: Familial concordant risks (parents/full-sibling history) were: SIR = 3.57 (95% confidence interval, 2.77–4.53) for acute glomerulonephritis, SIR = 3.84 (3.37–4.36) for chronic glomerulonephritis and SIR = 3.75 (2.85–4.83) for unspecified glomerulonephritis. High familial risks were observed if two or more relatives were affected; the SIR was 209.83 (150.51–284.87) in individuals with at least one affected parent as well as one full-sibling. The spouse risk was only moderately increased (SIR = 1.53, 1.33–1.75). Conclusions: Family history of glomerulonephritis is a strong predictor for glomerulonephritis, and is a potentially useful tool in clinical risk assessment. Our data emphasize the contribution of familial factors to the glomerulonephritis burden in the community.Key messagesThe familial risks (full-sibling/parent history) of glomerulonephritis (acute, chronic and unspecified glomerulonephritis) have not been determined previously.The familial risks of glomerulonephritis were increased among individuals with family history of acute, chronic or unspecified glomerulonephritis.The familial risks of glomerulonephritis were slightly increased among spouses indicating a modest non-genetic contribution.Very high familial risks were observed in multiplex families, i.e. with one or more affected first-degree relatives.