Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate self-referral from the Internet for genetic diagnosis of several rare inherited kidney diseases. Methods: Retrospective study from 1996 to 2017 analyzing data from an academic referral center specializing in autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease (ADTKD).
Individuals were referred by academic health-care providers (HCPs) nonacademic HCPs, or directly by patients/families. Results: Over 21 years, there were 665 referrals, with 176 (27%) directly from families, 269 (40%) from academic HCPs, and 220 (33%) from nonacademic HCPs.
Forty-two (24%) direct family referrals had positive genetic testing versus 73 (27%) families from academic HCPs and 55 (25%) from nonacademic HCPs (P = 0.72). Ninety-nine percent of direct family contacts were white and resided in zip code locations with a mean median income of $77,316 +- 34,014 versus US median income $49,445.
Conclusion: Undiagnosed families with Internet access bypassed their physicians and established direct contact with an academic center specializing in inherited kidney disease to achieve a diagnosis. Twenty-five percent of all families diagnosed with ADTKD were the result of direct family referral and would otherwise have been undiagnosed.
If patients suspect a rare disorder that is undiagnosed by their physicians, actively pursuing self-diagnosis using the Internet can be successful. Centers interested in rare disorders should consider improving direct access to families.