Blood pressure, renal function, and proteinuria in children with unilateral renal agenesis.
OBJECTIVE
Unilateral renal agenesis (URA) is a model for a reduced nephron number that is believed to be a risk factor for blood pressure (BP) elevation and reduced renal function. The aim of the study was to investigate BP and renal function in children with URA.


METHODS
Data on children with URA from two pediatric nephrology centers were firstly retrospectively reviewed (renal ultrasound and scintigraphy, clinical BP, creatinine clearance, urinalysis). Children with normal renal ultrasound and scintigraphy were thereafter investigated using ambulatory BP monitoring.


RESULTS
Twenty-nine children with URA were investigated--14 children with an abnormal kidney (mostly scarring) and 15 children with healthy kidneys. Hypertension was diagnosed on the basis of clinical BP in 57% of the children with abnormal kidneys and on the basis of ambulatory BP monitoring in 1 child (7%) with healthy kidneys. The mean ambulatory BP in children with normal kidneys was not significantly different from that in controls. Forty-three percent of the children with abnormal kidneys had a reduced renal function, but none of children with normal kidneys.


CONCLUSIONS
Children with abnormalities of a solitary kidney have often hypertension, proteinuria, or a reduced renal function. In contrast, children with healthy solitary kidneys have BP and renal function similar to those of healthy children.
Seeman
Tomás
T
Department of Pediatrics, 2nd School of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. tomas.seeman@lfmotol.cuni.cz
Patzer
Ludwig
L
John
Ulrike
U
Dusek
Jirí
J
Vondrák
Karel
K
Janda
Jan
J
Misselwitz
Joachim
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy; D007668:Kidney / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000502:physiology*; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D008297:Male; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography