The mechanisms of metabolic acidosis and hyperkalemia were investigated in a patient with chronic mineralocorticoid-resistant renal hyperkalemia (5.3 to 6.8 mM), metabolic acidosis (arterial blood pH 7.27, total CO2 17 mM), arterial hypertension, undetectable plasma renin activity (less than 0.10 ng/ml/hr), high plasma aldosterone (32 to 100 ng/dl), normal GFR (131 +/- 2.5 ml/min/1.73 m2). During hyperkalemic period, urine was highly acidic (pH 4.6 to 5.0), urinary NH4 excretion (13 mumoles/min) and urinary net acid excretion (24 mumoles/min) were not supernormal as expected from a chronic acid load. During NaHCO3 infusion, maximal tubular HCO3 reabsorption (Tm HCO3) was markedly diminished (19 mmoles/liter GF), fractional excretion of HCO3 (FE HCO3) when plasma HCO3 was normalized, was 20%. Urine-minus-blood PCO2 increased normally (31 mmHg) during NaHCO3 infusion, and urinary pH remained maximally low (less than 5.3) when buffer urinary excretion sharply increased after NH4Cl load. When serum K was returned toward normal limits, metabolic acidosis disappeared, urinary NH4 excretion rose normally after short NH4Cl loading while urinary pH remained maximally low (4.9 to 5.2), Tm HCO3 returned to normal value (24.8 mmoles/liter GF), and FE HCO3 became nil. The renal handling of K was improved with acute NaHCO3 loading and normalized after DDAVP nasal insufflation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)