Study of renal functional reserve in the elderly

Fifteen elderly subjects with normal renal function and 10 healthy young subjects were tested for renal reserve after infusion of 500 ml of a mixture of amino acids solution [vamin] over 2 hours. The renal reserve was calculated from the difference between maximal creatinine clearance and basal creatinine clearance. As regards the base line GFR, creatinine clearance of the elderly was significantly lower than the young subjects. After amino acids infusion, creatinine clearance increased significantly in both groups. However, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups as regards renal reserve