Hereditary Nephritis

NEPHRITIS is a common disease, and it would be expected that families with several affected members should be seen with reasonable frequency. However, a search of the literature reveals less than 30 reports of apparent familial or hereditary involvement. We were able to find descriptions of only 12 families in which three or more generations were involved. Addis,1 with his vast experience, stated that of the 7 families that he had seen with multiple cases, none involved more than two generations. The families in which several generations are affected present features suggesting that the lesion in these patients is unique. . . .