[Multicenter study of children with terminal renal failure in Lebanon]. / Etude multicentrique des enfants en insuffisance rénale terminale au Liban.

A retrospective study was conducted in June 1997 concerning all Lebanese children with end stage renal failure. This study was able to recognize 20 children and infants (age less than 15) dialysed regularly in 8 hemodialysis centers. The other 23 centers are not following children. Thirteen children are dialysed on bicarbonate and seven on acetate. Children receive erythropoietin occasionally; 30% of them are polytransfused, 60% of them suffer from anemia. Four children have never received immunization against hepatitis B and three are seropositive for hepatitis C. None of these children has regular school attendance and psychological support for the child and his family do not exist. We conclude that the situation of children on hemodialysis in Lebanon is alarming. Solutions are possible and available; they need to be undertaken urgently.

Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme levels in patients with chronic renal failure.

Disagreement concerning serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) levels in patients with chronic renal failure has been observed in recent reports. Because ACE is considered as a useful tool for the diagnosis and management of sarcoidosis, and because chronic renal failure may be associated with sarcoidosis, the present work was designed to reinvestigate the possible changes of serum angiotensin-converting enzyme activity in a series of 36 non-hemodialysed consecutive patients with chronic non-sarcoid renal failure. Enzyme activity was significantly lower (p less than 0.004) in the patients (15.8 +/- 5.0 units/ml, mean value +/- 1 SD) than in 47 healthy controls (20.2 +/- 7.6 units/ml, mean value +/- 1 SD). Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme and creatinine clearance values were significantly correlated in these patients (p less than 0.0002). These results indicate that, in non-hemodialysed patients with chronic renal failure, serum angiotensin-converting enzyme levels may not be useful in establishing the diagnosis of sarcoidosis.