Batuman V
Section of Nephrology, Tulane University Medical School, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA.
Kidney Int. 2006 Feb;69(4):644-6. doi: 10.1038/sj.ki.5000231.
Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) has remained a geographically constant endemic for 50 years. Despite extensive research, its etiology remains unknown. In the current issue, in a study in one of the earliest sites where the endemic was first recognized, Dimitrov et al. confirm the persistance of the endemic into a new generation and also identify a maternal link in the pathogenesis of BEN. This intriguing finding needs to be confirmed in other endemic areas.
巴尔干地方性肾病（BEN）在50年来一直是一个地理分布稳定的地方病。尽管进行了广泛研究，但其病因仍然不明。在本期中，在最早确认该地方病的地区之一进行的一项研究中，迪米特罗夫等人证实了该病在新一代中的持续存在，并确定了其发病机制中的母体关联。这一有趣的发现需要在其他地方病流行地区得到证实。
