PATHOLOGICAL PROTEINURIAS IN PATIENTS WIT H CONGESTIVE-HEART-FAILURE

Quantitative measurements and electrophoretical investigations of prot einuria were performed in a group of 66 patients with cardiac failure. The results were compared with clinical and laboratory findings and w ith hemodynamic data obtained from cardiac catheterisation. Proteinuri a above 150 mg/24 h/1.73 sqm was defined as pathological and found in 18 cases. In all these patients a pathological electrophoretic pattern showing predominantly glomerular and rarely tubular dysfunction was f ound. Patients with a pathological proteinuria had a significantly low er cardiac output than those with normal proteinuria. There were no si gnificant differences between these two groups in the type and duratio n of the underlying disease, the clinical degree of cardiac failure, g lomerular filtration rate, blood pressure, mean right atrial and left ventricular enddiastolic pressure. Proteinuria above 150 mg/day with a pathological electrophoretic pattern was found in 30% of the patients studied with cardiac failure and was associated with a significantly reduced cardiac output.