Karger Publishers, Nephron Extra, 1(3), p. 86-90, 2013
DOI: 10.1159/000354667
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<b><i>Background/Aims:</i></b> Twenty-five members of a family from the county of Devon in England have been affected by atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) associated with a <i>CFH</i> mutation (c.3643C>G; p.Arg1215Gly). A 65-year-old male was diagnosed with aHUS after losing a renal transplant to a thrombotic microangiopathy. Subsequent mutation screening revealed the same <i>CFH</i> mutation without him being knowingly related to the local kindred. We designed a study to investigate the prevalence of this mutation in the local area. In addition, we examined the diagnoses of pre-existing haemodialysis patients to determine whether other patients might unknowingly be at risk of carrying the same <i>CFH</i> mutation. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The Exeter Ten Thousand (EXTEND) study aims to recruit 10,000 healthy volunteers over the age of 18 years living within 25 miles of Exeter in Devon. We genotyped DNA from 4,000 EXTEND subjects for <i>CFH</i> c.3643C>G; p.Arg1215Gly. We reviewed the diagnoses of 294 haemodialysis patients in the Devon area and genotyped 7 patients with either end-stage renal disease of unknown aetiology, malignant hypertension or renovascular disease. <b><i>Results:</i></b> <i>CFH</i> c.3643C>G; p.Arg1215Gly was not detected in any of the 7 haemodialysis patients or the 4,000 individuals within the EXTEND study. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> We conclude that <i>CFH</i> c.3643C>G; p.Arg1215Gly is not endemic in Devon. This reinforces our existing practice of genotyping only patients with kidney disease and evidence of a thrombotic microangiopathy for this mutation. This is the first study looking at the prevalence of <i>CFH</i> mutations in the general population.