[The effect of enalapril on the development of diabetic nephropathy in children and adolescents].

Diabetic nephropathy is the most frequent cause of chronic renal insufficiency in adults. Its early stage, characterized by increased albuminuria, develops in susceptible subjects already manifestation of diabetes. This stage can be treated by inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme which reduce the pathologically elevated intraglomerular pressure even in normotonic subjects. Enalapril was administered for a period of 12 weeks to eight children and adolescents with a normal blood pressure and albuminuria of 30-300 mg/24 hours during repeated assessments. During treatment there was not only a significant decline of albuminuria (from 104.6 +/- 42.7 mg/24 hours to 47.2 +/- 15.4, p = 0.003) but also a drop of the pathological glomerular hyperfiltration (from 3.38 +/- 1.87 ml/s to 1.48 +/- 0.54 ml/s within six weeks - p = 0.02 and to 2.05 +/- 0.80 ml/s resp. within 12 weeks, n.s.). The favourable effect persisted also for some time after discontinuation of treatment. Treatment was relatively well tolerated by the patients. The problem remains whether it is possible to retard or prevent in this way the development of further stages of diabetic nephropathy, include chronic renal failure.