Abstract
In order to clarify intracellular potassium metabolism in acute and chronic renal failure, the authors measured erythrocyte potassium (RK) and sodium (RNa) levels in groups of healthy controls, chronic renal failure patients, regular hemodialysis patients, acute renal failure patients, and recovered acute renal failure patients, and then discussed the results obtained in relation to the disease underlying the renal failure. As a result, RK was found to be significantly lower in the group of patients with chronic renal failure who did not undergo dialysis than in the group of healthy controls. This may be explained by the involvement of a substance removed by hemodialysis rather than in terms of abnormal acid-base equilibrium.
There was no significant difference between the RNa of the group of chronic renal failure patients without dialysis and the groups of healthy controls or hemodialysis patients. In the acute ranal failure group, RK decreased from onset to the most severe stage, but improved to the level of the healthy control group after recovery, indicating that the RK decrease is related to a substance which is rapidly accumulated in the body. The RNa of this group was high in the acute phase and remained higher than that of the healthy control group after recovery, suggesting involvement of a disease different from chronic renal failure.
