Clinical evaluation of patients with hypertension and exercise-induced renal dysfunction

An exercise-mediated renal omicron-iodohippurate transport abnormality was recently identified in patients with hypertension. The disturbance was not observed in normotensive controls. To learn more about this transient functional disturbance of the kidney, we obtained gamma camera hippurate renograms in 45 patients with hypertension. The final diagnoses indicated that 27 patients had essential hypertension, 15 had renal parenchymal or renovascular hypertension, 2 had malignant hypertension, and 1 had hypertension of pregnancy. We documented age, height, weight, global and unilateral renal function, blood pressure status, and antihypertensive medication used at time of scintigraphy. We also noted the serum catecholamine, sodium, and potassium levels. All patients were scintigraphed at rest and during exercise. The scintigraphic examination documented exercise-induced renal dysfunction in 28 (62%) patients (abnormal exercise renogram), while 17 (38%) had renograms not noticeably influenced by the exercise protocol (normal exercise renogram). When the results of scintigraphy were compared with the clinical data, a weak correlation was found between patient overweight and an abnormal response to exercise. There was no significant difference between groups with normal and abnormal exercise renograms with respect to the other parameters assessed. Exercise renography was not useful for differentiating renal and essential hypertension. Renography appears to demonstrate an exercise-mediated, transient, renal perfusion disturbance in certain patients with hypertension. The examination appears to assess a new parameter in hypertensive disease. Thus, the gamma camera renogram should be reevaluated in the patient with hypertension.