Severe hypertension and rapidly progressive acute renal failure is a well recognized complication of scleroderma, often referred to as the renal crisis, and widely thought to cause irreversible deterioration in renal function. With the advent of angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) the outlook for patients with this condition has dramatically improved. We report here one such patient.
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TraubY.M., ShapiroA.P., RodnanG.P.Hypertension and renal failure (scleroderma renal crisis) in progressive systemic sclerosis: review of a 25-year experience with 68 cases.Medicine (Baltimore)1983; 62: 335–52
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SteenV.D., ConstantinoJ.P., ShapiroA.P., MedsgerT.A.. Outcome of renal crisis in systemic sclerosis: relation to availability of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.Ann Intern Med1990; 113: 354–7
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GarvasH., GarvasI., CannonP.J., BrunnerH.R., LaraghJ.H.. Is elevated plasma renin activity of prognostic importance in systemic sclerosis (scleroderma)?Arch Int Med1977; 1371554–8
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Lopez-OverjeroJ., SaalS., D'AngeloW., CheighJ., StenzelK., LaraghJ.. Reversal of vascular and renal crisis of scleroderma by oral angiotensin-converting-enzyme blockage.V Engl J Med1979; 300: 1417–20
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ChapmanP.J., PascoeM.D., van Zyl-SmitR.. Successful use of Captopril in the treatment of scleroderma renal crisis.Clin Nephrol1986; 26: 106–8
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BrownE.A., MacGregorG.A., MainiR.N.. Failure of Captopril to reverse the crisis of scleroderma.Ann Rheum Dis1983; 42: 52–3