Balkan Endemic Nephropathy


A chronic tubulointerstitial nephropathy endemic to the littoral regions of the Danube, occurring in the Balkans—Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia
Etiology Unknown; converging lines of evidence suggest a link to long-term consumption of food contaminated with aristolochic acid
Prognosis The natural course of the disease is characterised by universal development of end-stage renal disease and the frequent development of upper urinary tract tumours; most patients die within 10 yrs of onset