Are kidney problems hereditary? my dad had kidney failure due to a urine infection..and his other kidney was not functioning since childhood.

Can Be: There are kidney conditions that have a genetic predisposition. Ask your doctor for specifics with a specific diagnosis that the relatives suffer from.

See below: Non-functioning kidney from childhood was very likely a multycystic dysplastic kidney, a congenital abnormality but not a hereditary condition. Alport syndrome and vesicoureteral relux can be.

Yes: Some kidney diseases are hereditary. Your description indicates your father had a nonfuncitoning kidney and developed pyelonephritis in the other. This alone should not cause kidney failure. You can have your own function checked simply with a blood chemistry test and spot urine albumin/creatinine ratio. A kidney ultrasound is also useful in some circumstances.

Some, unlikely dad's: Polycystic renal disease is hereditary, adult type is autosomal dominant so there is 50% chance of each child of parent with PKD inheriting it. Pediatric type PKD is recessive & usually fatal at or soon after birth. Bladder reflux which can cause kidney disease can also be heritary. Kidney duplication sometimes assoc. W kidney disease can be inherited. Dad's kidney problem unlikely heritable.