Renal plasma flow, filtration fraction and microalbuminuria in hypertensive patients: effects of chronic smoking.
BACKGROUND
Albumin excretion rate is usually increased in people who smoke, but the physiological basis of this phenomenon is not fully understood.


METHODS
The effect of chronic smoking on renal haemodynamics was studied in a cohort of 66 men. Twenty-seven were smokers and 36 were hypertensive. In all subjects, the albumin excretion rate was evaluated; in hypertensive patients, a renoscintigraphic evaluation of renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration were carried out and the filtration fraction was calculated.


RESULTS
The hypertensive smoking population presented an increased urinary albumin excretion rate in comparison with hypertensive non-smoking patients. No significant differences were found for the mean values of renal plasma flow, the glomerular filtration rate and the filtration fraction between hypertensive smokers and hypertensive non-smoking patients.


CONCLUSIONS
In hypertensive patients, smoking does not modify typical renal haemodynamic changes of arterial hypertension; however, it significantly increases the albumin excretion rate.
Andronico
Giuseppe
G
Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Malattie Cardiovascolari e Nefro-urologiche, Università degli Studi di Palermo. androp@unipa.it
Romé
Maria
M
Lo Cicero
Antonina
A
Parsi
Renato
R
Seddio
Giovanna
G
Ferraro-Mortellaro
Rosella
R
Buscemi
Silvio
S
Cerasola
Giovanni
G
D000328:Adult; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D006801:Humans; D006977:Hypertension, Renal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012079:Renal Circulation; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology