PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Roscoe, J. M.
AU  - Halperin, M. L.
AU  - Rolleston, F. S.
AU  - Goldstein, M. B.
TI  - Hyperglycemia-induced hyponatremia: metabolic considerations in calculation of serum sodium depression
DP  - 1975 Feb 22
TA  - Canadian Medical Association Journal
PG  - 452--453
VI  - 112
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/112/4/452.short
4100  - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/112/4/452.full
SO  - CMAJ1975 Feb 22; 112
AB  - Hyperglycemia is associated with a decrease in serum sodium concentration. Previous methods of estimating the degree of decrease have not considered the fact that glucose will enter certain cells despite relative insulin deficiency; thus, glucose will not contribute directly to the osmotic gradient responsible for water shifts into or out of these tissues. The expected decrease in serum sodium concentration is 1.35 meg/l for every 100mg/dl increase in blood glucose concentration - the metabolic correction factor. Although the numerical difference between this factor and that calculated by others is small, the metabolic implications could be critical. In the hyperglycemic state the water content of tissues not requiring insulin for glucose transport could increase, and where tissue swelling is physically restricted (for example, in the brain) this expansion could seriously affect organ function.