Even excluding control subjects with kidney diseases such as abnormal urinalysis (one patient), asymptomatic hematuria (four patients), IgA vasculitis with nephritis (one patient), IgA nephropathy (two patients), and thin basement membrane disease (one patient), the total adiponectin levels were significantly higher at all three stages of the disease (data not shown). The gene discussed is ADIPOQ; the disease is IgA glomerulonephritis.