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Updated in 1/17/2017 5:40:27 PM      Viewed: 1470 times      (Journal Article)
Seminars in dialysis 22 (3): 253-5 (2009)

Water-free sodium accumulation.

Jens Titze
ABSTRACT
The widely accepted concept of body fluid and electrolyte homeostasis is that Na(+) is restricted mainly to the extracellular fluid and K(+) to the intracellular space, where both ions act to hold water and thereby control the extracellular and intracellular fluid volume by their osmotic activity. Na(+) accumulation thus inevitably leads to water retention. The constancy of the extracellular volume is the task of the kidneys, which control the total body Na(+) content. More recent data have questioned this traditional view, suggesting that large amounts of Na(+) can be accumulated without accompanying water retention by osmotically inactive Na(+) retention, or by osmotically neutral Na(+)/K(+) exchange. Besides the control of the body Na(+) content by the kidneys, redistribution of body electrolytes hence provides an extrarenal regulatory alternative in the maintenance of body fluid volume and blood pressure control.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-139X.2009.00569.x      ISSN: 0894-0959