[Clinical spectrum of distal renal tubular acidosis and its study with bicarbonate loading]

Authors attempted to review the clinical spectrum of distal renal tubular acidosis on the basis of analysing the records of 11 patients. Distal renal tubular acidosis was associated with chronic renal failure of different severity and with tubulointerstitial diseases in the two-third of patients in whom histologic studies were also performed. The disorders caused in certain cases hypokalemia and hyperkalemia in the others, the concentrating insufficiency was characteristic leading in exceptional cases to nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and the clinical picture was accompanied also by osteomalacia. Authors describe their own method of bicarbonate loading, obtaining by its use very high values of 78.65 +/- 11.28 (p < 0.005) mmHg of urine minus blood pCO2 in 6 healthy subjects. On the other hand, in 6 distal renal tubular acidosis patients no such difference in the pCO2 values could be found. The knowledge of the clinical spectrum of the distal renal tubular acidosis may enhance the recognition and treatment of the disorder.