Effect of acetazoleamide (Diamox) on encephalopathy induced by water excess and hypernatremia
- 1 June 1960
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wolters Kluwer Health in Neurology
- Vol. 10 (6) , 537
- https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.10.6.537
Abstract
Alterations in the EEG were produced in 16 cats by either acute overhydration induced with intravenous glucose water solutions or hypernatremia induced with intraperitoneal hypertonlc NaCl instillations. Both overhydration and hypernatremia caused diffuse high voltage slow activity and intermittent sharp waves in the EEG When hypernatremic animals were acutely hydrated, the sharp activity in the EEG was increased. In all 3 states, intravenous acetazoleamide rapidly returned the EEG to normal. When acetazoleamide was administered to a human patient with encephalopathy caused by overhydration, both her clinical status and EEG promptly improved. Acetazoleamide appears to affect central nervous function through decreasing the rate of transport of metabolic CO2 from brain to lung, thus increasing the CO2 concentration in the cell. A specific effect of the drug on the extracellular: intracellular ratio of Na in neurons has been postulated by others, but the equal effectiveness of the drug in both hypoosmolar and hyperosmolar states reported herein does not support this concept. Although the specific neuronal effects of acetazoleamide are not known, the drug is useful in the treatment of encephalopathies caused by water and electrolyte imbalance and merits further clinical trial.Keywords
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