VOLUME AND DISTRIBUTION OF BODY WATER AND COMPOSITION OF BODY IN CHRONIC RENAL FAILURE

Abstract

Changes in volume and distribution of body water and changes of body composition in chronic renal failure still remain unclarified, but the knowledge on these problems is essential in the treatment and pathologic physiology of chronic renal failure.In this study, total body water, extracellular water and circulating plasma volume were determined by dilution method in fourteen patients suffering from chronic renal failure and six healthy men for control. From the results obtained, fat mass, lean body mass, intracellular water, cell solids and mineral mass were calculated.The summary and conclusion were as follows.1) Body weight decreased in majority of patients with chronic renal failure.2) Total body water and ditto per centimeter of height showed a tendency of decrease.3) Extracellular water per centimeter of height and its percentage to body weight showed an increase, indicating that nearly all patients had edema manifest or latent.4) Intracellular water and ditto per centimeter of height showed a marked decrease more than cell solids, suggesting that intracellular dehydration was taking place in parallel with the breakdown of cell mass.5) Lean body mass and ditto per centimeter of height showed a more decrease than fat mass. This may be attributed to decrease of cell mass.6) Patients with chronic renal failure showed pathologic changes, not only in volume and distribution of body water, but also in composition of body such as cell mass.