Renal Function during Prolonged Exposure to Hypoxia and Carbon Monoxide

Abstract

Prolonged exposure of normal subjects to hypoxia and to carbon monoxide seem to affect renal function differently. During a 10 days sojourn at medium altitude (3454 meters above sea level) a diminution of effective renal plasma flow of borderline significance was observed while glomerular filtration rate remained close to control levels. Changes in glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow leading to the well known pattern in fully acclimatized subjects or high altitude dwellers seem to follow a slow time course. An acute increase of glomerular filtration rate and, less consistently, of effective renal plasma flow was observed within the first 36 hours of prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide, while changes during the remainder of an 8 days exposure period were equivocal. Possible explanations of this phenomenon are changes in intrarenal vasomotor tone and/or in glomerular membrane permeability.

Key-words:

• Kidney function tests
• glomerular filtration
• blood circulation
• hypoxia
• high altitude
• carbon monoxide