Impaired lactate production by skeletal muscle with anaerobic exercise in patients with chronic renal failure. A possible consequence of defective glycolysis in skeletal muscle.

The lactate concentration in antecubital venous blood was determined in 33 patients before and after ischemic forearm exercise. Before exercise, there wa no significant difference in serum lactate level between uremic patients and controls. However, after ischemic exercise the means serum lactate level in uremic patients was significantly lower than that of controls. The results may lead to the conclusion that uremic patients have a markedly reduced ability to form lactate with anaerobic exercise probably due to inhibition of glycolytic enzymes of skeletal muscle.