Renal glomerular and tubular impairment during strenuous exercise in young women.

Creatinine, total protein, albumin and beta2-microglobulin were measured in the urine of fifteen healthy women before and after strenuous short-term exercise. The heavy intermittent load produced an increased urinary excretion of total protein, albumin and beta2-microglobulin, while creatinine was unaffected. The renal clearance of albumin and beta2-microglobulin showed very high values after stopping the exercise. However, 45 min after the end of exercise, total protein returned to initial values while albumin and beta2-microglobulin remained high. The urinary ratio between beta2-microglobulin and albumin is higher in urine collected after exercise than in normal proteinuria. This implies that post-exercise proteinuria is of glomerular and tubular origin.