Hyperglycemia and Hyperosmolality Complicating Peritoneal Dialysis

doi:10.1059/0003-4819-67-3-568

Hyperglycemia and Hyperosmolality Complicating Peritoneal Dialysis

Requests for reprints should be addressed to Franklin H. Epstein, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine,
333 Cedar St., New Haven, Conn. 06510
.

Excerpt

Hyperglycemia without ketosis may cause coma, convulsions, shock, and death (1-7). Severe disturbances in brain function are a consequence of the high concentration of glucose in the extracellular fluids resulting in intracellular dehydration.

Hypertonic glucose solutions are frequently used in peritoneal dialysis to remove edema. High levels of blood glucose have been observed during peritoneal dialysis (8-11), and large amounts of glucose are absorbed (9, 12). The tendency for serum sodium to be elevated after peritoneal dialysis with glucose solutions has also been commented on (10, 11, 13), but the explanation of this phenomenon is not widely appreciated.

A patient

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Article and Author Information

From the Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.
This study was supported in part by training grant AM 5015, National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.
Dr. Gill was a Training Fellow in Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Epstein was the recipient of career research award 1-K6-AM-21, 578, U. S. Public Health Service, Washington, D. C.
- Received April 6, 1967.
- Accepted April 24, 1967.