Renal Handling of Muramidase in Patients with Kidney Diseases or Hypertension

By means of electrophoresis in antibody-containing agarose gel, serum and urine muramidase were quantitated in 79 patients with renal disease or hypertension. In patients with a normal glomerular filtration rate, an increased urinary excretion of muramidase was found in only 3 of 33 cases. The diagnosis in these 3 cases was: Alport's syndrome (1 case), hypertension from oral contraceptives (2 cases). In 46 patients with a decreased glomerular filtration rate, the urinary excretion of muramidase was increased in 29 cases. It is concluded that muramidasuria in chronic renal disorders is determined by the magnitude of the glomerular filtration rate and not by the aetiology of the renal disease.