RENAL RESERVE IS NORMAL IN ADULTS BORN WITH UNILATERAL RENAL AGENESISAND IS NOT RELATED TO HYPERFILTRATION OR RENAL-FAILURE

This study was carried out to examine the renal hemodynamic response i n adult patients with single kidneys born with unilateral renal agenes is. A group of 21 patients with unilateral renal agenesis were divided into three groups according to their glomerular filtration rate(GFR): 112+/-3 ml/min x 1.73 m(2) in group A, 68 +/- 3.2 ml/min x 1.73 m(2) in group B, and 40.7 +/- 3.3 ml/min x 1.73 m(2) in group C. Mean arter ial blood pressure was significantly higher in the patients of group C who were also proteinuric. The renal hemodynamic response to an oral protein load (2 g/kg of protein as beefsteak) was normal in all groups and unrelated to hyperfiltration or to renal failure and proteinuria. The study indicates that in patients with renal agenesis, the hemodyn amic response to a protein challenge is similar to that of kidney dono rs, renal transplant recipients and uninephrectomized patients. The pa per also demonstrates that the renal response to a protein challenge i s inadequate to identify patients with renal agenesis who are at risk of developing renal disease. Finally, in renal agenesis with renal dis ease, creatinine clearance overestimated the GFR by an average of 32.7 %.