SODIUM BALANCE STUDIED WITH 22Na AND AN EXTERNAL COUNTER FOR MEASURING WHOLE-BODY RADIOACTIVITY

Journal/Book: Reprinted from THE LANCET March 30 1957 pp. 653-656. 1957;

Abstract: M. MENCER MARTIN M.D. Durh. M.R.C.P. LEVERHULME RESEARCR SCHOLAR INSTITUTE OF CLINICAL RESEARCH MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL MEDICAL SCHOOL GEOFFREY WALKER B.Sc. Lond. M.B. M.R.C.P. MEDICAL REGISTRAR MALCOLM CHAPMAN B.Sc. Lond. M.B. HOUSE-PHYSICIAN MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL LONDON Summary The total body-22Na was measured directly with external Geiger-Müller counters ; and by measuring specific activity exchangeable body-sodium was calculated for each day. The standard error for whole-body radioactivity was ± 0 · 9% and for total exchangeable body-sodium ± 2.4%. Daily comparisons were made with the cumulative-excretion method in which total body-22Na was calculated by subtracting successive twenty-four-hour losses and with chemical metabolic-balance data. The methods were found to be in good agreement. Although the differences were small they could be explained by lose of sodium in sweat. The external counter offers a simple and accurate method for studying sodium metabolism without either collecting excreta or measuring dietary intake. ___MH

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