DEFINITION OF HYPOOSMOLALITY Part of “CHAPTER 27 – INAPPROPRIATE ANTIDIURESIS AND OTHER HYPOOSMOLAR STATES“ The only clinical abnormality known to result from increased secretion of arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a…

FREQUENCY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF HYPOOSMOLALITY Part of “CHAPTER 27 – INAPPROPRIATE ANTIDIURESIS AND OTHER HYPOOSMOLAR STATES“ Hypoosmolality of plasma is relatively common in hospitalized patients. The incidence and prevalence of…

INAPPROPRIATE ANTIDIURESIS AND OTHER HYPOOSMOLAR STATES Joseph G. Verbalis FREQUENCY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF HYPOOSMOLALITY DEFINITION OF HYPOOSMOLALITY

HYPEROSMOLAR SYNDROMES Part of “CHAPTER 26 – DIABETES INSIPIDUS AND HYPEROSMOLAR SYNDROMES“ Hyperosmolar or hypernatremic syndromes may be defined as plasma osmolality levels and sodium concentrations of >300 mOsm/kg and…

DIABETES INSIPIDUS Part of “CHAPTER 26 – DIABETES INSIPIDUS AND HYPEROSMOLAR SYNDROMES“ ETIOLOGY In theory, any of a series of defects in the vasopressin neurosecretory process can be implicated as…

DEFINITIONS Part of “CHAPTER 26 – DIABETES INSIPIDUS AND HYPEROSMOLAR SYNDROMES“ Diabetes insipidus refers to the passage of copious volumes of dilute urine and is synonymous with polyuria. In adults,…

DIABETES INSIPIDUS AND HYPEROSMOLAR SYNDROMES Peter H. Baylis Christopher J. Thompson Blood osmolality in healthy persons is maintained within narrow limits by a series of mechanisms that are described in…

WATER HOMEOSTASIS Part of “CHAPTER 25 – PHYSIOLOGY OF VASOPRESSIN, OXYTOCIN, AND THIRST“ VOLUME, COMPOSITION, DISTRIBUTION, AND BALANCE Water is by far the largest constituent of the human body. In…

THIRST MECHANISM Part of “CHAPTER 25 – PHYSIOLOGY OF VASOPRESSIN, OXYTOCIN, AND THIRST“ The thirst mechanism provides an indispensable adjunct to the antidiuretic control of water balance in humans (see…

PHYSIOLOGY OF VASOPRESSIN, OXYTOCIN, AND THIRST Gary L. Robertson ANATOMY OF THE NEUROHYPOPHYSIS CHEMISTRY