ORGANIC OSMOLYTES IN THE BRAIN OF AN INFANT WITH HYPERNATREMIA

Neurologic symptoms due to electrolyte disorders are common, occurring in patients with diarrhea, diabetes mellitus, head injury, renal failure, and many other disorders, especially in infants and the elderly. The clinical syndromes of dehydration and overhydration, often first detected in measurements of plasma sodium or osmolality, are among the most frequent causes of the neurologic symptoms, which include irritability, seizures, lethargy, and coma. There are multiple hormonal and neurogenic mechanisms to maintain total body water and the concentration of solutes (osmolality) within narrow limits. Interruption of these homeostatic mechanisms leads to the retention or loss of either water or solute;. © 1994, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.