A 10-year-old Turkish boy with consanguineous parents was presented with a disproportionately short stature and a nephrotic syndrome. The mild form of Schimke's immuno-osseous dysplasia was diagnosed as the common cause. This rare, autosomal recessive osteochondrodysplasia is characterised by spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, facial dysmorphism, T-cell immunodeficiency and progressive renal failure due to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. In Schimke's immuno-osseous dysplasia, a severe early-onset form and a milder later-onset form can be distinguished on the basis of the clinical course. The patient was treated by fluid and salt restriction, enalapril and later also losartan, which led to a decrease in the proteinuria and an increase in serum albumin concentration. Two years later, the renal function was still normal.