As boys with Alport Syndrome grow, they begin to show other signs of kidney disease, including protein in the urine and high blood pressure. These symptoms are often present by the time the boys are teenagers. Girls with Alport Syndrome usually do not have protein in the urine and high blood pressure until much later in life, but occasionally these symptoms appear in teenaged girls with Alport Syndrome. Progressive hearing loss is another important feature of Alport Syndrome. About 80% of boys with Alport Syndrome will develop progressive hearing loss at some point in their lives, often by the time they are teenagers. The progressive hearing loss affects both ears. Fortunately, hearing aids are usually very effective in these people. Girls with Alport Syndrome may also develop progressive hearing loss, but less frequently than boys, and usually later in life. Kidney transplantation does not improve the progressive hearing loss of Alport Syndrome.