Abstract
0. 5 mg of Dexamethasone were given to 10 patients every 6 hrs for 2 days. they were then administered new potent diuretics Bumetanide (Leo, Sweden) 1 mg every 12 hr for 7 days. They were again given Dexamethasone in the some dosage for the last 2 days during the administration of Bumetanide.
Plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone levels (PAL) and plasma deoxycorticesterone levels (PDL) were measured, using the techniques of radioligand assay.
PRA increased with the administration of Dexamethasone, with and without Bumetanide administration. This may be due to the fact that administration of Dexamethasone elevated the concentration of angiotensinogen in human plasma.
When Dexamethasone was given with the administration of Bumetanide, PAL decreased. We believe that the decrease of PAL resulted in a direct suppressive effect of Dexamethasone on the adrenal cortex, as in the reports of Newton et al and Burrow et al. With administration of Dexamethasone, PDL significantly decreased. The decrease of PDL could be due to the suppression of ACTH by Dexamethasone, independently of renin-angiotensin system.
