Alport Syndrome is an inherited disease that primarily affects the glomeruli, the tiny tufts of capillaries in the kidneys that filter wastes from the blood. The disease was first described by an English doctor named A. Cecil Alport. This disease is caused by changes in genes (mutations) that affect type IV collagen, a protein that is important to the normal structure and function of glomeruli. The earliest symptom of the disease is blood in the urine (hematuria). Alport Syndrome always affects the kidneys. Many people with Alport Syndrome also have hearing problems and abnormalities of the eyes, because the type IV collagen proteins are important to the normal structure and function of the inner ear and the eye. Other signs and symptoms may include: