Alport syndrome is caused by a mutation in a gene for collagen. This inherited disorder is uncommon, affecting about 2 out of 10,000 people. It causes chronic glomerulonephritis with destruction of the glomeruli (the tiny blood vessels within the kidneys that filter the blood) and eventually progresses to end-stage renal disease at an early age. It was first described by an English doctor, A. Cecil Alport. Because of the way Alport Syndrome is inherited, the disease tends to be more severe in men than in women.