Whole exome sequencing approach for identification of the molecular etiology in pediatric patients with hematuria

Hematuria is a common condition in clinical practice of pediatric patients. It is related to a wide spectrum of disorders and has high heterogeneity both clinically and genetically, which contributes to challenges of diagnosis and lead many pediatric patients with hematuria not to receive accurate diagnosis and early management. In this single center study, 42 children with hematuria were included in Tianjin Children’ Hospital between 2019 and 2020. We analyzed the clinical information and performed WES (Whole exome sequencing) for all cases. Then the classification of identified variants was performed according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines for interpreting sequence variants. For the fragment deletion, qPCR was performed to validate and confirm the inherited pattern. For the 42 patients, 16 cases had gross hematuria and 26 had microscopic hematuria. Molecular genetic causes were uncovered in 9 (21.4%) children, including 7 with Alport syndrome (AS), one with polycystic nephropathy and one with lipoprotein glomerulopathy. The genetic causes for other patients were not related with hematuria. WES is a rapid and effective way to evaluate patients with hematuria. The analysis of genotype-phenotype correlations of patients with AS indicated that severe variants were associated with early kidney failure. Secondary findings is not rare in Chinese children, thus the clinician should pay more attention to the clinical interpretation of sequencing results and properly interaction with patients and their family.