WHILE studying renal function in children we have obtained evidence of some rather unusual and heretofore unreported alterations of renal hemodynamics in patients with sickle cell anemia. Glomerular filtration rate (mannitol clearance), effective renal plasma flow (paraaminohippurate [PAH] clearance), and tubular excretory capacity for PAH were determined in eight children between the ages of 4 and 11 years with sickle cell anemia.
To our knowledge there are no reported data on these clearances (mannitol and PAH) in children with this disease. Calcagno and co-workers,1 using the thiosulfate clearance method, found a reduction in the glomerular filtration rate in five children with sickle cell anemia. Two patients with sickle cell trait were observed to have glomerular filtration rates within normal limits. They, however, report one case of secondary anemia in which the glomerular filtration rate was in the higher limits of normal (144.5 cc. a minute per 1.73 square meters).