Effects of cyclosporine on tubular acidification function in patients with idiopathic uveitis.

Renal tubular acidification function was studied in 12 patients treated with cyclosporine (Cy) for idiopathic uveitis (IU) and in 5 patients with IU not treated with Cy. After intravenous bicarbonate loading fractional bicarbonate excretion was similar in both groups indicating normal proximal tubular acidification function. Plasma renin activity, plasma aldosterone and transtubular potassium gradient were similar in both groups. Distal hydrogen ion secretion evaluated by the ability to increase urine-blood (U-B) pCO2 in a highly alkaline urine was impaired in Cy-treated patients (31.8 +/- 3.2 mm Hg) as compared to controls (47.9 +/- 0.5 mm Hg) (p < 0.005). We conclude that Cy therapy is associated with a distal acidification defect with a low U-B pCO2 gradient during sodium bicarbonate loading. Because none of our Cy-treated patients spontaneously developed over metabolic acidosis one could classify them as having an incomplete form of distal tubular acidosis.