We investigated the effect of aldosterone infusion (0.5 mg/h for 6 h) on electrolyte excretion in 11 patients with severe renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance 6-20 ml/min), with normal or elevated serum potassium levels and a wide range of plasma aldosterone levels, and compared the data with those obtained in 7 healthy subjects. The studies were done under conditions of fixed sodium and potassium intake. In the normal subjects, aldosterone infusion caused a significant rise in potassium excretion and a significant fall in sodium and chloride excretion (p less than 0.01). In 1 patient with a high plasma aldosterone, virtually no response occurred to the aldosterone infusion. In the others, the increase in potassium excretion and reduction in chloride excretion were not different from the changes observed in the normals, but the fall in sodium excretion was less due to a higher urinary sodium before infusion in the normals (p less than 0.05). Fractional electrolyte excretions as well as the changes in fractional excretion by aldosterone were larger in the patients (p less than 0.05). Apparently, the renal tubules of patients with chronic renal failure are still responsive to maximal stimulation with aldosterone, in spite of their basically elevated fractional electrolyte output. These findings suggest that, with some exceptions, the hyperkalemia in patients with chronic renal failure is in part due to relative hypoaldosteronism.