STUDIES OF SERUM ELECTROLYTES

Abstract

Insulin was withheld for 18 hrs. or more from 17 patients with severe diabetes mellitus. After an overnight fast, blood was removed for analysis and the patients were given insulin. When the concentration of blood sugar reached a normal level or when the patients experienced shock-like symptoms, blood was again removed for analysis. The concentration of inorganic phosphate and cholesterol of the serum after the insulin administration decreased; the concentration of total base, Na, Cl, and specific conductivity of the serum increased. As measured by freezing point, the osmolar concentration of the serum following insulin administration generally decreased, suggesting that the increased concentration of electrolytes did not compensate completely for the decreased concentration of the blood sugar. It is believed that the final picture represents a change in the serum toward the normal, not only in the fall of glucose and cholesterol, but also in the rise of Na and Cl and the diminished osmolar concentration, as measured by the freezing point. The freezing point of serum from normal individuals was [long dash]0.532-0.543[degree].