4
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article

Effect of chronic hypokalaemia on renal concentrating ability and secretion of arginine vasopressin

, &
Pages 5-9 | Received 12 May 1986, Accepted 03 Jul 1986, Published online: 17 Mar 2010
 

Abstract

Two patients with a Bartter-like syndrome, who had been hypokalaemic for 129 and 55 months, and 13 normokalaemic control subjects were investigated during 24 h of water deprivation. The hypokalaemic patients had urine volumes, urine osmolalities, osmolar clearances and tubular capacities for water reabsorption within the normal range. During thirst, plasma-arginine vasopressin increased much more markedly in the patients (3.4 to 11.1 pmol/l and 3.0 to 17.7 pmol/l) than in the control subjects (2.1 pmol/l (median), range 1.0–3.1, to 3.7 pmol/l, range 1.7–6.4). Plasma angiotensin II increased during water deprivation in the patients (33 to 53 pmol/l and 147 to 208 pmol/l) but not in the control subjects (9 pmol/l (median), range 3–15, to 11 pmol/l, range 3–15). Plasma aldosterone was the same in patients and control subjects and did not change in response to thirst. It is suggested that renal concentrating ability can be preserved in patients with chronic potassium depletion by means of a compensatory increase in the secretion of antidiuretic hormone.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.