Renal function as an indicator of prognosis in malignant essential hypertension

Renal function was evaluated in a group of 24 patients (21 men and 3 women, mean age 47 years) who had survived the malignant phase of hypertension during the period of 1969-1979. Five had grade III retinopathy (haemorrhages and exudates) and 19 had grade IV changes (papilloedema, FH IV) at diagnosis. Highest recorded blood pressure was 248 +/- 4/152 +/- 3 mmHg (mean +/- S.E.M.). Renal function rapidly deteriorated in 7 cases with progression to terminal uraemia. All patients in this group had a marked elevation in serum creatinine at diagnosis (448 +/- 105 mumol/l) and inadequate blood pressure control. Two of these 7 patients died and 5 underwent renal transplantation. The other 17 patients initially had serum creatinine less than or equal to 250 mumol/l (169 +/- 19 mumol/l-glomerular filtration rate (GFR) 51 +/- 7 ml/min). All except one were reinvestigated after a mean time of 6 years (range 6 months-11 years) with evaluation of blood pressure and determination of GFR by 51Cr-EDTA clearance. At follow-up their blood pressure was fairly well controlled (153 +/- 3/99 +/- 2 mmHg). Their GFR was 62 +/- 6 ml/min. Of the 11 patients in whom two GFR determinations were available (one initially and one at follow-up), six patients showed a marked increase in GFR while 5 patients showed only slight or no improvement in spite of fairly good blood pressure control. In malignant hypertension adequate antihypertensive treatment can lead to a pronounced improvement in GFR unless renal function has deteriorated gravely.