ABSTRACT
AIM: To examine blood flow in renal and intrarenal arteries and its changes in the acute pharmacological test with captopril in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Renal circulation was studied in 50 patients with CGN using ultrasound dopplerography (USDG) of renal vessels on the unit GE Logiq 400 CL PRO Series. The velocity and indices of peripheral blood resistance in the major renal artery (RA) and in intrarenal arteries were estimated. In 26 patients the blood flow was studied again after intake of 50 mg captopril. RESULTS: Poor renal blood flow was registered in cortical parenchyma in 36% CGN patients (with chronic renal failure in 75%). Multifactorial regression analysis has demonstrated that only blood creatinine was independently related with slowing down of the blood flow at the level of RA and intrarenal arteries. Morphological index of activity correlated with resistance indices while a high sclerosis index correlated with blood flow slowing. Older patients had higher resistance indices. Captopril significantly accelerated blood flow and insignificantly changed indices of peripheral resistance including those in CRF patients. CONCLUSION: Poor blood flow in the cortical layer of renal parenchyma in CGN, according to USDG, occurs rather frequently and was associated with CRF and older age of the patients. Blocking of renin-angiotensin system at the level of angiotensin II formation improves renal blood flow in most of the patients.
Subject(s)
Captopril , Glomerulonephritis/diagnostic imaging , Kidney , Renal Artery/diagnostic imaging , Renal Circulation/drug effects , Adolescent , Adult , Blood Flow Velocity/drug effects , Blood Flow Velocity/physiology , Chronic Disease , Female , Glomerular Filtration Rate/drug effects , Glomerular Filtration Rate/physiology , Glomerulonephritis/physiopathology , Humans , Kidney/blood supply , Kidney/diagnostic imaging , Kidney/physiopathology , Male , Middle Aged , Renal Artery/physiopathology , Renal Circulation/physiology , Ultrasonography, Doppler , Vascular Resistance/drug effects , Vascular Resistance/physiologyABSTRACT
The results of puncture biopsy of the liver, ultrasonic and angiographic investigation of the liver and pancreas in 114 patients with chronic alcoholism revealed an increment of changes in these organs in parallel with an increase in the duration of chronic alcoholic intoxication. A simultaneous study of immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and C-peptide showed that an increase in the IRI basal level in the patients suffering from alcoholism up to 10 yrs was determined mainly by an increase in the activity of beta-cells. In a long period of alcoholism an increase in the IRI basal level resulted from a decrease in the rate of insulin degradation in the liver as assessed by a lower level of C-peptide. In liver cirrhosis a noticeable decrease in pancreatic incretory function was combined with noticeable disturbance of insulin degradation in the liver. The above investigations showed that there were morphological, functional and clinical signs of the "hepatopancreatic syndrome" in chronic alcoholism.
