Sodium and Water Homeostasis

Abstract

In fewer than 250 pages, this little monograph covers the major disturbances of water and salt metabolism occurring in a variety of diseases. It has chapters on hyponatremia and hypernatremia, describing their causes, classifications, consequences, and methods of treatment. It reviews the factors regulating renal sodium excretion, tells which segment of the nephron does what, and explains where the various diuretic drugs exert their action. It comprehensively discusses the mechanisms of sodium retention in heart failure, nephrotic syndrome, nephritis, and idiopathic edema. There is a chapter on the causes and homeostatic disturbances of extracellular fluid depletion. There is also an excellent chapter on the effects of liver disease—complete with 150 references—describing the renal disturbances in various forms of hepatic disease and critically sifting the enormous mass of frequently conflicting or contradictory evidence for various pathogenetic mechanisms. The book is written for nephrologists, urologists, internists, and pediatricians, but should also appeal