Urinary prostaglandin-E2 in chronic renal disease.

Renal excretion of prostaglandin-E2 was measured by radioimmunoassay in patients with chronic renal diseases. Significantly elevated urinary prostaglandin-E2 amounts were found in patients with moderate renal insufficiency (creatinine clearances 20-59 ml/min). In mild and severe renal insufficiency, the urinary excretion of PGE2 was within the normal range. In the non-terminal stages of kidney failure, a definite correlation was found between the degree of renal impairment and the daily amounts of PGE2 in the urine. It is therefore concluded that in these stages of the disease the kidney produces elevated levels of PGE2 in an attempt to improve the decreased renal blood flow caused by the disease.