AUTHOR=Do Catherine , Evans Gretta J. , DeAguero Joshua , Escobar G. Patricia , Lin Henry C. , Wagner Brent 

TITLE=Dysnatremia in Gastrointestinal Disorders

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.892265

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2022.892265

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<p>The primary solute of the <italic>milieu intérieur</italic> is sodium and accompanying anions. The solvent is water. The kidneys acutely regulate homeostasis in filtration, secretion, and resorption of electrolytes, non-electrolytes, and minerals while balancing water retention and clearance. The gastrointestinal absorptive and secretory functions enable food digestion and water absorption needed to sustain life. Gastrointestinal perturbations including vomiting and diarrhea can lead to significant volume and electrolyte losses, overwhelming the renal homeostatic compensatory mechanisms. Dysnatremia, potassium and acid-base disturbances can result from gastrointestinal pathophysiologic processes. Understanding the renal and gastrointestinal contributions to homeostatis are important for the clinical evaluation of perturbed volume disturbances.</p>