The relation between experimentally induced pyelonephritis and hypertension.

Abstract

Hypertension resulting from chronic pyelonephritis has been shown in clinical as well as experimental cases, although some authors deny that there is a pathogenic relationship between the two. To throw light on this problem the present authors conducted a series of experiments with mongrel dogs, in which chronic pyelonephritis was induced and postoperative changes in blood pressure and plasma renin activity were observed over a period of 3 months. The pyelonephritis infection was brought about by a method involving vesicoureteral reflux and ureteral dysfunction, as described in a previous paper. Preoperative and postoperative levels of systolic pressure wer compared, but no definit trends were found for the first 3 weeks after operation. At 30, 60 and 90 days the pressures were found to have risen by 21.2 plus or minus 11.2 mmHg, 21.7 plus or minus 14.6 mmHg and 17.1 plus or minus 16.7 mmHg, respectively. Thus there was a significant elevation (p smaller than 0.01). No appreciable change in the plasma renin activity was found, however, at any stage. From these results it was concluded that experimentally induced chronic pyelonephritis in dogs caused a rise in blood pressure. No connection between the pyelonephritis and the renin angiotensin system was found.