Abstract
Levels of plasma cortisol were determined by the competitive protein-binding radioassay technique in patients with chronic nephritis undergoing hemodialysis by Kolff's twin-coil kidney.
Marked rise in plasma cortisol occurred in most of the patients studied during artificial hemodialysis. The plasma cortisol level gradually diminished following completion of a six-hour dialysis and returned to predialysis levels 12 to 24 hours after the dialysis. This indicates that the patients adrenal function normally responds to dialytic stress with a secretion of cortisol fully making up for the dialytic loss of plasma cortisol. It, however, still remains probable that a decreased pituitary-adrenal responsiveness may cause an adrenal crisis as the hemodialysis proceeds.
