Functional characteristics of the lung in chronic uremia treated by renal dialysis therapy.

Ventilatory studies and arterial blood gas analyses were performed in 29 patients with chronic renal failure undergoing renal dialysis therapy (RDT). Twenty-three of the 29 had nearly normal pulmonary function, and the accumulation of body water between dialyses did not influence pulmonary function significantly. A trend was observed towards overinflation and air trapping in the presence of normal airway resistance, indicating narrowing of the small airways. Repeated studies over a 16-month period suggest that these patients develop neither chronic obstructive airway disease nor restrictive ventilatory impairment. Six patients had a restrictive ventilatory impairment with a trend to overdistension and air trapping as in the "normal" patients. This was observed both early and late in the course of RDT and appeared to be irreversible but not progressive. These patients had suffered from uremic pleuropericarditis and either had serous effusions or residual adhesions.