ABSTRACT
Sixteen children with renal disease and severe hypertension refractory to other drugs were treated with minoxidil for periods of five days to 77 months. The maximum dose ranged from 0.05 to 1.88 mg/kg/d. With therapy, the mean BP decreased from 158/112 to 133/90. Thirteen children had an antihypertensive response. 2 had progressive rejection of transplanted kidneys, and 1 received a low dose and failed to respond. Complications were hypertrichosis in 14; fluid retention in 4, with congestive heart failure in 1; and decreased renal function in 2. Pericarditis, possibly related to minoxidil, occurred in one child. Minoxidil is a valuable antihypertensive drug in children but should be used with caution.
Subject(s)
Hypertension, Renal/drug therapy , Minoxidil/therapeutic use , Pyrimidines/therapeutic use , Adolescent , Blood Pressure/drug effects , Child , Child, Preschool , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Infant , Minoxidil/administration & dosage , Minoxidil/adverse effectsABSTRACT
In renal failure associated with the nephrotic syndrome, therapeutic strategy is highly dependent upon the cause of the renal failure. Dynamic hippurate scintigraphy was studied in five pediatric patients. Four had nephrotic syndrome, and of these, three had acute renal failure. The fifth patient had end-stage renal failure. Specific alteration in renal hippurate kinetics offers a noninvasive assessment of renal failure in this clinical setting.
