RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Hyperglycemia-induced hyponatremia: metabolic considerations in calculation of serum sodium depression
JF Canadian Medical Association Journal
JO CMAJ
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP 452
OP 453
VO 112
IS 4
A1 Roscoe, J. M.
A1 Halperin, M. L.
A1 Rolleston, F. S.
A1 Goldstein, M. B.
YR 1975
UL http://www.cmaj.ca/content/112/4/452.abstract
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.