National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Fanconi syndrome


Other Names:
Primary Fanconi syndrome; Fanconi renotubular syndrome; Primary Fanconi renotubular syndrome
Categories:
Fanconi syndrome is a condition in which the kidneys do not absorb certain substances into the body.  These substances, such as cysteine, fructose, galactose, or glycogen, are lost in the urine.  Fanconi syndrome is thought to be caused by genetic and environmental factors, and it may be diagnosed at any age.  Symptoms of Fanconi syndrome include increased urine production (which may cause dehydration), weakness, and abnormalities of the bones.[1][2]
Last updated: 3/11/2012

Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
Before the diagnosis of primary Fanconi renotubular syndrome is made all causes of secondary Fanconi syndrome must be ruled out, including both inherited (cystinosis, tyrosinemia type I, fructosemia, Wilson's disease, galactosemia, glycogen storage disease, Dent's disease, Lowe's syndrome, arthrogryposis-renal dysfunction-cholestasis (ARC) syndrome, mitochondrial cytopathies) and acquired disorders (drug or heavy metal poisoning, malignancies).
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • The Centers for Mendelian Genomics program is working to discover the causes of rare genetic disorders. For more information about applying to the research study, please visit their website.
  • ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are related to Fanconi syndrome. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.

    Please note: Studies listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov website are listed for informational purposes only; being listed does not reflect an endorsement by GARD or the NIH. We strongly recommend that you talk with a trusted healthcare provider before choosing to participate in any clinical study.

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) lists the subtypes and associated genes for Fanconi syndrome in a table called Phenotypic Series. Each entry in OMIM includes a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Fanconi syndrome. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know. Submit a new question

  • My daughter had Fanconi renotubular syndrome and, unfortunately, she is now deceased from complications.  How rare is Fanconi syndrome?  How many cases have been diagnosed in the United States? See answer


  1. Fanconi syndrome. MedlinePlus. February 2012; http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000333.htm. Accessed 3/6/2012.
  2. Fathallah-Shaykh S. Fanconi syndrome. eMedicine. August 2011; http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/981774-overview#a0101. Accessed 3/2/2012.