The research Katy Jones
is carrying out is all about the genetic causes of vesicoureteric reflux,
a condition in which urine goes back up the ureter to the kidneys when the
bladder contracts. If the urine gets infected this can lead to serious
kidney infection and scarring.
The underlying cause is the position
of the ureter where it enters the bladder. Normally this is along the top
of the bladder and is shut off when the bladder muscles contract during
urination. However in some people the ureter is set at the corners of the
bladder and doesn't get squeezed shut properly so urine gets pushed back
up, which is commonly known as reflux. This happens in about 1% off all
children and most grow out of it.
This condition is often diagnosed
after a second kidney infection. About 80% of these cases are girls. It is
inherited in 30-50% of children when it's first seen. About 30% of
brothers and sisters inherit it. There is a 60% chance of children of
known carriers getting it.
Genetic research has shown that this
condition is probably caused by several genes. Katy Jones' research is
being done into the ways these genes are passed on when chromosomes are
altered as bits of chromosomes are swapped during the formation of eggs
or sperm.
