STUDIES ON ALCOHOL DIURESIS. I. THE EFFECT OF ETHYL ALCOHOL INGESTION ON WATER, ELECTROLYTE AND ACID-BASE METABOLISM 12

Abstract

Acute effects of alcohol ingestion (120 cc whiskey) on water and electrolyte metabolism were studied in normal semirecumbent males during the morning hours. Alcohol caused a marked rise in urinary flow and free water clearance (CH20) as well as consistent falls in the excretion of Na, Cl, and K. Although no definite cause for the fall in solute excretion was discerned it is suggested that a redistribution of blood volume may have been the effective stimulus. The acidosis, the changes in electrolyte excretion, and the alterations in blood volume and renal hemodynamics could not be causally related to the diuresis or rise of CH2O after alcohol. The findings in the present study are consistent with the hypotheses that alcohol inhibits the supraoptico hypophyseal system.