Sodium deficiency

Other Potassium and Sodium Disorders. Potassium and/or sodium deficiency can lead to muscle weakness and sodium deficiency to nausea. Hyperkalemia resulting in cardiac arrest is possible from 18 g/d of potassium combined with inadequate kidney function. Faulty utilisation of K" and/or Na" can lead to Addison s or Cushing s disease. 

While it is possible to obtain a stoiehiometric Na,BogB,4 sodium boride when operating under Na pressure, the pyrolysis of the compound at low T and in high vacuum leads to Na,B(,gBi4 sodium-deficient phases where x can reach a value of 0 without the collapse of the boron skeleton". 

Only the kidneys eliminate lithium. Like sodium, it is filtered by the glomerulus and 80% is reabsorbed by the proximal tubule but it is not reabsorbed by the distal tubule. Intake of sodium and water are the principal determinants of its elimination. In sodium deficiency lithium is retained in the body, thus concomitant use of a diuretic can reduce lithium clearance by as much as 50% and precipitate toxicity. Sodium chloride and water are used to treat lithium toxicity. 

The failure to consume w ater can lead to death within several days. Water deficiency is most often provoked by diarrheal iirfections that are severe and prolonged. As body water is intimately associated with sodium, death might also be Considered to result, in part, from sodium deficiency. Diarrhea-pnrvoked fluid deficiency is probably the most common type of nutrient deficiency in the world. 

Water, salt, and blood pressure are related. The blood volume is closely related to the blood pressure. A loss in blood volume can occur with water deficiency or because of extensive bleeding. The lack of enough blood to fill up the vessels of the circulatory system leads to a drop in blood pressure. A severe drop in blood pressure results in the inability of the heart to pump vital nutrients to the brain and other tissues. A loss in blood volume can also result from sodium deficiency. The concentrations of sodium and its counterion chloride must be maintained to maintain the osmotic strength of the blood plasma. Osmotic strength is expressed by the term osmolality. Osmolality is equal to the sum of the molarities of the separate particles (ions or molecules) in a liquid. For example, a solution of 1 mole of NaCl in 1 liter has an osmolality of 2.0 osmol/liter. Na and Cl ions dissociate completely in solution. Osmotic pressure develops when two solutions of differing osmolalities are placed in contact with each other but separated by a semiperme-able membrane. The walls of capillaries are semipermeable membranes. The renal... 

Sodium deficiency symptoms include weakness, gas, nausea, vomiting, heart arrhythmias, attention deficit, poor memory, and difficulty in concentration. If this occurs in conjunction with dehydration, water should be given before the sodium deficit is taken care of. 

A. E. Hall, O. F. Hutter, and D. Noble, Current-Voltage Relations of Purkinje Fibres in Sodium-Deficient Solutions, J. Physiol. London), 166, 225 (1963). 

The sodium content of cows milk is determined genetically and unaffected by sodium intake. Three families of cows, for example, produced milk containing 373, 420 and 477 mg Na L and although the differences between the families were significant there was no relationship between the sodium content of the milk and the cows sodium intake. Moreover, at times of sodium deficiency, the cows whose milk has a higher sodium content produced a lesser quantity of milk. A shortage of sodium leads to a considerable decrease in milk yield and fat content (Anke and Schellner 1969, Schellner etal. 1971). The sodium content of the blood of cows is also almost independent of their sodium status (Blair-West et al. 1963, Anke and Schellner 1969). In contrast to blood and milk, saliva, urine and hair do reflect any sodium deficiency. 

Sodium-deficient sugar beet and chard have unusually thin, metallic-green leaves with a purplish tinge on the underside. The leaf-stalks are limp, and in dry, warm weather the plants wilt more rapidly than those with an adequate salt status. The plants are stocky. In general, visual signs of sodium deficiency are unknown in practice because most soils contain enough sodium to prevent depletion (Bergmann... 

The sodium deficiency reduced milk production to 54%, and milk fat yield to 69%. 

In dogs, a sodium deficiency (3.6 mg kg body weight) resulted in exsiccosis, restlessness, increased respiration rate, polydipsia, and polyuria. The hematocrit and hemoglobin were both increased, whilst the sodium concentration in the blood was only temporarily reduced (Drochner et al. 1976). 

Essentiality and Toxicity for Man For humans, sodium (and chlorine) are essential nutrients, the deficiency of which frequently and acutely leads to premature death, usually from circulatory failure. The second most frequent consequence is diarrhea. The physiology of man is, consequently, characterized by multiple control mechanisms which act to maintain and control the NaCl content and concentrations within the body. Sodium deficiency symptoms in humans are not well known nonetheless, a sodium chloride deficit as a common cause of death is quite treatable with minimum effort, provided that some basic principles are remembered. Body weight change is the best indicator of a sodium deficit. Except in the presence of imminent circulatory collapse, oral treatment is usually possible. Except in case of cholera, the colon usually responds to aldosterone, and quite low sodium concentrations are adequate for the rehydration solutions. In the case of cholera, near-isotonic solutions are necessary (Harper et al. 1997). 

Sodium deficiency during long-term endurance exercise may cause dehydration. A sodium content of 300-800 mg in saliva seems to provide an adequate sodium supply during endurance exercise, without impairing the flavor of beverages (Zapf etal. 1999). The importance of taste to individuals on a low-sodium diet has been demonstrated. It is interesting to observe that a low-sodium diet maintained over a long period leads to a shift in preference toward less salty foods (Bertino et al. 1982). 

Coding JR, Munro JA and Wright RD (1963) The reduction ofthe pressure action of angiotensin II in sodium-deficient conscious sheep. Aust J Exp Biol Med Sci 41 369. 

Vargas O, Miranda R, and Orrego F, (1976) Effects of sodium-deficient... 

R. Lorente de N6, F. Vidal, and L.M.H. Larramendi, Restoration of Sodium-Deficient Frog Nerve Fibers by Onium Ions, Nature 179, 737-738 (1957). 

Sodium deficiency in animals occurs in many parts of the world, but especially in the tropical areas of Africa and the arid inland areas of Australia, where pastures contain very low concentrations of the element. A deficiency of sodium in the diet leads to a lowering of the osmotic pressure, which results in dehydration of the body. Symptoms of sodium deficiency include poor growth and reduced utilisation of digested proteins and energy. In hens, egg production and growth are adversely affected. Rats given experimental diets low in sodium had eye lesions and reproductive disturbances, and eventually died. 

It had been suggested that, since diabetic coma is associated with an increased sodium excretion (129, 130) and since sodium deficiency in the rat is associated with a decreased blood GSH level (27), the low blood GSH levels observed in diabetes may be a consequence of the disturbed electrolyte balance (98). However, since severe diabetes in the rat is associated with a decreased tissue GSH level whereas the tissue GSH levels are not decreased in sodium deficiency—in fact, a slight increase has been reported (28)—this explanation is untenable,... 

Treatment of Addison s disease with adrenal cortical extract or by implantation of desoxycorticosterone restored the blood GSH levels (165). It has been suggested that the low blood GSH level in the Addisonian human subject may be related to the associated sodium loss which occurs (98). It would be of interest, therefore, to know whether sodium deficiency per se in man will lower the blood GSH level and whether the tissue GSH levels change in Addison s disease. For whereas sodium deficiency does not change the blood GSH level in the chicken or guinea pig, this condition lowers the blood GSH in the rat without affecting the tissue levels (28). It would also be of interest to determine the total blood glutathione (GSH +-GSSG) level in the sodium-deficient rat. 

Combined water and salt depletion is a syndrome commonly encountered in clinical medicine. Manifestations are those of both sodium and water deficiency and include anorexia, nausea, weakness, muscle cramps, peripheral vascular collapse (sodium deficiency), thirst, and oliguria (water deficiency). Ingestion of water alone increases the severity %f symptoms. Heat cramps, which occur in persons working in very hot environments, are an example of this syndrome. Deficiency may be prevented by the addition of salt to drinking water to make a final concentration of 0.1 %. 

Destruction of the adrenal cortex results in a deficiency of glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids and androgens, and the features of the disease are a reflection of this. Mineralocorticoid deficiency leads to sodium deficiency, which in turn leads to dehydration and this can present as an Addisonian crisis. The deficiency of glucocorticoids leads to hypoglycaemia and pronounced insulin sensitivity with a flat glucose tolerance curve. Because of the glucocorticoid deficiency, the pituitary produces maximal... 

Primary sodium deficiency. This is found in Addison s disease when there is inadequate secretion of aldosterone. Sodium deficiency can also occur when the fluid lost by vomitting, sweating, diarrhoea or through a fistula, is replaced by fluids low in sodium. 

Blair-West, J. R., Coghlan, J. P, Denton, D. A., Nelson, J. E, Orchard, E., Scoggins, B. A., Wright, R. D., Myers, K., and Junqueira, C. L. 1968. Physiological, morphological and behavioural adaptation to a sodium deficient environment by wild native Austrafran and introduced species of animals. Nature, 217, 922-928. 

It is noteworthy that certain vegetarians may consume only small amounts of sodium because their diets are based mainly upon unprocessed, unsalted plant foods which contain only traces of the mineral. Animal foods and commercially processed plant foods usually contain sufficient sodium so that the adding of extra salt is not necessary. However, normally healthy people on low intakes of salt may suffer from sodium deficiency if they are exposed to hot environments, or if they engage in strenuous activities that provoke heavy losses of sweat. 

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