Experience from a renal function tests unit

The activity developed during one year in a Renal Function Tests Unit was s tudied prospectively. Six hundred pharmacological tests (50 tests per month ) were done to 453 patients, children and adults. Abnormal tests results we re found in 38.4% of the patients. 49.7% of the tests were performed in patients affected with nephrolithiasis or carriers of metabolic anomalies predisposing to renal stones, mainly id iopathic hypercalciuria. The tests were also frequently done to other group of patients affected with urinary tract infection, mitochondrial disease, vesicoureteral reflux, osteoporosis and primary Sjogren's syndrome. The urinary concentrating capacity alter desmopressin (37.2%) was the most frequent performed isolated test, although the group of tests to study the renal acidification capacity (58.5%) were the most frequent requested ones.