A Textbook of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
A Textbook of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
A Textbook of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
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is sometimes caused by drugs, notably the anticonvulsant<br />
carbamazepine, which stimulates ADH release from the posterior<br />
pituitary, <strong>and</strong> sulphonylureas, which potentiate its<br />
action on the renal collecting ducts. Antidiuretic hormone<br />
secretion results in a concentrated urine, while continued<br />
drinking (as a result <strong>of</strong> dietary habit) leads to progressive dilution<br />
<strong>of</strong> the plasma, which becomes hypo-osmolar <strong>and</strong> hyponatraemic.<br />
The plasma volume is slightly increased <strong>and</strong><br />
urinary sodium loss continues. Some causes <strong>of</strong> SIADH resolve<br />
spontaneously (e.g. some cases <strong>of</strong> head injury), whereas others<br />
may improve after specific treatment <strong>of</strong> the underlying cause<br />
(e.g. following chemotherapy for small-cell carcinoma <strong>of</strong> the<br />
bronchus). Hyponatraemia that has arisen gradually can be<br />
corrected gradually by restricting fluid intake. This does not<br />
cause thirst (because the plasma is hypo-osmolar), but may<br />
not be well tolerated because <strong>of</strong> habit. Rapid correction <strong>of</strong><br />
hyponatraemia to levels greater than 125 mmol/L is potentially<br />
harmful <strong>and</strong> is associated with central pontine myelinolysis,<br />
with resultant devastating loss <strong>of</strong> brainstem function.<br />
Demeclocycline inhibits adenylyl cyclase <strong>and</strong> renders the<br />
collecting ducts insensitive to ADH (thereby producing a form<br />
<strong>of</strong> nephrogenic diabetes insipidus). It has been used to treat<br />
SIADH. In common with other tetracyclines, it increases<br />
plasma urea levels <strong>and</strong> can produce deterioration <strong>of</strong> renal function<br />
<strong>and</strong> increased loss <strong>of</strong> sodium in the urine. Electrolytes <strong>and</strong><br />
renal function must be monitored during treatment.<br />
VOLUME DEPLETION<br />
PRINCIPLES OF FLUID REPLACEMENT<br />
Volume depletion is seldom treated with drugs. Even in<br />
Addisonian crisis, where the definitive treatment is replacement<br />
with glucocorticoid <strong>and</strong> mineralocorticoid hormones, emergency<br />
treatment pivots on replacement <strong>of</strong> what is depleted, i.e.<br />
salt <strong>and</strong> water, usually in the form <strong>of</strong> adequate volumes <strong>of</strong> isotonic<br />
0.9% sodium chloride solution (Chapter 40). The same is<br />
true <strong>of</strong> diabetic ketoacidosis, where the critical life-saving intervention<br />
is the rapid infusion <strong>of</strong> large volumes <strong>of</strong> isotonic saline,<br />
as well as insulin (Chapter 37). In patients with hypovolaemia<br />
due to acute <strong>and</strong> rapid blood loss, the appropriate fluid with<br />
which to replace is blood. In some situations, particularly when<br />
hypoalbuminaemia <strong>and</strong> oedema coexist with acute blood volume<br />
depletion, infusion <strong>of</strong> solutions <strong>of</strong> high-molecular-weight<br />
colloid (e.g. gelatin) may be preferable to isotonic saline. Anaphylactoid<br />
reactions are an unusual but severe adverse effect <strong>of</strong><br />
such treatment. Lactate is metabolized aerobically with the production<br />
<strong>of</strong> bicarbonate <strong>and</strong> Ringer’s lactate solution is used to<br />
avoid hyperchloraemic acidosis. Bicarbonate-containing solutions<br />
for i.v. use are being developed.<br />
DIABETES INSIPIDUS AND VASOPRESSIN<br />
‘Pure’ water deprivation (i.e. true dehydration) is much less<br />
common than loss <strong>of</strong> salt <strong>and</strong> water (i.e. desalination). Plasma<br />
VOLUME DEPLETION 277<br />
osmolality rapidly increases if fluid intake is inadequate. This<br />
causes thirst, which leads to drinking <strong>and</strong> restoration <strong>of</strong> plasma<br />
osmolality, <strong>and</strong> to secretion <strong>of</strong> antidiuretic hormone (ADH,<br />
arginine vasopressin) by the posterior pituitary, which results in<br />
the formation <strong>of</strong> a small volume <strong>of</strong> concentrated urine. ADH<br />
combines with receptors coupled to G-proteins. The most<br />
physiologically important actions <strong>of</strong> vasopressin, including its<br />
antidiuretic effect, are mediated by V 2-receptors which are coupled<br />
to adenylyl cyclase. V 1-receptors activate the phosphatidyl<br />
inositol signalling system in vascular smooth muscle, mobilizing<br />
cytoplasmic calcium <strong>and</strong> causing vasoconstriction.<br />
Vasopressin renders the collecting ducts permeable to<br />
water. Consequently, water leaves the collecting ducts passively<br />
down its osmotic gradient from tubular fluid (which is<br />
hypotonic at the beginning <strong>of</strong> the distal tubule) into the highly<br />
concentrated papillary interstitium. This process results in the<br />
formation <strong>of</strong> a small volume <strong>of</strong> highly concentrated urine<br />
under the influence <strong>of</strong> vasopressin.<br />
Control <strong>of</strong> plasma osmolarity via thirst fails when a patient is<br />
denied oral fluid, usually because <strong>of</strong> surgery (‘nil by mouth’).<br />
Fluid must then be administered parenterally if dehydration<br />
with increased plasma sodium ion concentration is to be prevented.<br />
An isotonic (5%) solution <strong>of</strong> glucose is used in these circumstances,<br />
as the glucose is rapidly metabolized to carbon<br />
dioxide, leaving water unaccompanied by solute. Surgical<br />
patients also lose salt, but unless they have been vomiting or<br />
losing electrolyte-rich fluid from the gastro-intestinal tract<br />
via a drain or fistula, salt is lost at a lower rate than water.<br />
Consequently, post-operative patients are <strong>of</strong>ten given two or<br />
three volumes <strong>of</strong> 5% glucose for every volume <strong>of</strong> isotonic saline,<br />
adjusted in the light <strong>of</strong> serial serum electrolyte determinations.<br />
Diabetes insipidus is an uncommon disorder in which<br />
either the secretion <strong>of</strong> ADH is deficient (‘central’ diabetes<br />
insipidus which can follow neurosurgery or head injury or<br />
complicate diseases such as sarcoid that can infiltrate the posterior<br />
pituitary), or in which the sensitivity <strong>of</strong> the collecting<br />
ducts to ADH is deficient (‘nephrogenic’ diabetes insipidus).<br />
Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus is sometimes drug induced,<br />
lithium being a common cause. Severe nephrogenic diabetes<br />
insipidus is a rare X-linked disease caused by a mutation in the<br />
V 2-receptor gene. In such cases, exogenous vasopressin or<br />
desmopressin (see below) is ineffective. Paradoxically, thiazide<br />
diuretics (see above) reduce polyuria in nephrogenic diabetes<br />
insipidus by reducing the hypotonicity <strong>of</strong> fluid entering<br />
the distal tubule, <strong>and</strong> are combined with mild salt restriction.<br />
Dehydration is not a problem in diabetes insipidus provided<br />
the patient has access to water, because increasing<br />
plasma osmolality stimulates thirst. The consequent polydipsia<br />
prevents dehydration <strong>and</strong> hypernatraemia. However,<br />
patients with diabetes insipidus are at greatly increased risk <strong>of</strong><br />
dehydration if they become unconscious for any reason (e.g.<br />
anaesthesia for an intercurrent surgical problem).<br />
Polydipsia <strong>and</strong> polyuria in central diabetes insipidus can<br />
be prevented by vasopressin. Treatment with ADH necessitates<br />
repeated injections. Currently, the usual treatment is<br />
therefore with a stable analogue, namely desamino-D-arginine<br />
vasopressin (DDAVP, desmopressin). This is sufficiently well