ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ACIDOSIS IN ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY

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Abstract
The tendency to acidosis due to excess urinary Na loss over Cl after adrenalectomy has been studied in relation to the development of adrenal crisis in dogs. Lowering of the serum pCO2 in the course of respiratory compensation for the bicarbonate wastage was found to play a more important role than the derangement in Na and K metabolism. Increased susceptibility to acapnic central depression in the absence of gluco- corticoids seemed to determine the course of the crisis, beginning with anorexia and ending in circulatory collapse. Infusion of NaHCO3 but not NaCl solution, could promptly ameliorate the anorexia in its early stage. Terminal bradycardia in the form of A-V block was found to be due to the result of autonomic unbalance rather than hyperkalemia and could be recovered by epinephrine or atropine without changes in the serum K level. It might be due to the sympathetic failure in the course of central depression and the animal succumbed to collapse before marked acidosis could appear.

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