ACE inhibitors improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in hypertensive patients with normal renal function. Hypertensive patients with renal failure are a high-risk group who are particularly glucose intolerant and insulin resistant. We have therefore studied whether ACE inhibition improve glucose tolerance in this group as well. In a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study 10 patients with stable moderate chronic renal failure (mean endogenous creatinine clearance 40 +/- 16 ml/min/1.73 m2) were examined. Patients were randomly allocated to receive either placebo or the ACE inhibitor perindopril (2 mg/day per os) for 14 days. After 7 days of wash-out they received the alternative medications in random order for another 14 days. Before and after each of the two treatment periods (day 1 and day 15) an intravenous glucose tolerance test (i.v. GTT) with concomitant determination of insulin levels was performed. The glucose disappearance rate (K value) was calculated to express changes in glucose tolerance. An i.v. GTT was also performed in a group of healthy volunteers. The mean K value was significantly (P < 0.05) lower, i.e. glucose tolerance was impaired, in patients compared with healthy controls. In addition, baseline and peak insulin levels after the i.v. GTT were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in patients than in healthy subjects. The K values in patients before and after placebo treatment (1.33 +/- 0.31 and 1.41 +/- 0.45 respectively) were not significantly different from the values with perindopril treatment (1.35 +/- 0.37 and 1.41 +/- 0.48 respectively). Furthermore, no significant differences between placebo and perindopril treatment were found with respect to the insulin response to the glucose load. The peak (5 min) insulin concentrations after the i.v. glucose load were 49.0 +/- 19.2 microU/ml (day 1) and 50.0 +/- 24.9 (day 15) with placebo and 49.2 +/- 19.3 (day 1) and 46.8 +/- 17.9 (day 15) with perindopril.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)