The Clinical Biology of Sodium

Résumé du livre

The physiological and clinical importance of sodium rests on four fundamental features: sodium transport establishes gradients which underlie other essential transport processes, the responsiveness of excitable tissues, and protect cells from swelling; it is also a major demand on the available energy supply (ATP); sodium is the osmotic skeleton of the internal environment; sodium reabsorption is the foundation on which much renal function rests; and sodium excretion enables the kidney to be the main long-term regulator of blood pressure. Nephrologists, gastroenterologists, cardiologists, obstetricians, anaesthetists and internists treating a range of diseases frequently need to manipulate sodium balance to the advantage of patients; often this is a pivotal aspect of their therapeutic strategy.