Susceptibility of Rats with Renal Hypertension to Pyelonephritis, and Predisposition of Rats with Chronic Pyelonephritis to Hormonal Hypertension

Abstract

Renal hypertension was produced in rats by unilateral nephrectomy and constriction of the artery to the remaining kidney. Both an increased concentration of bacteria in the kidney 24 hours after inoculation of Escherichia coli , and an increased incidence of lesions of pyelonephritis two weeks after inoculation were noted in these hypertensive rats. Admin istration of desoxycorticosterone (DCA) and saline to rats with chronic experiniental pye lonephritis resulted in development of hyper tension of greater severity thait normal rats. Chronic pyelonephritis alone did not re sult in hypertension, nor did unilateral "fig ure-of-8" ligature in the pyelonephritic rat. Increased susceptibility to pyelonephritis in, hypertension and predisposition to hyperten sion in chronic pyelonephritis thus can ac count for a relationship between hyperten sion and pyelonephritis in the rat. If these results can be applied to the problem in man, they suggest an explanation for the clinical coincidence of the two diseases which seems more consonant with existing facts than a re lationship of direct etiology.