FLUID AND ELECTROLYTE SHIFTS IN THE HYDRATED ADRENALECTOMIZED RAT1

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Abstract
Normal and 2-day adrenalectomized rats received 2 doses of water (5 cc./100g.) an hr. apart. Two hrs. after the 1st dose, the adrenalectomized rats had retained twice as much water as their controls. The absorbed but unexcreted water was located almost entirely in the cells. The loss of salt from the extracellular fluid during the 2-day period of adrenal insufficiency was suggested as the cause of the increased cellular hydration in these animals. The tendency for fluid to shift to the cells during adrenal insufficiency may explain in part the sensitivity of the adrenalectomized animal to excessive hydration.