Metabolic effects of sodium restriction and thiazides in tetraplegic patients.

The metabolic effects of sodium restriction, alone or with thiazide, were studied in 12 healthy subjects, in 24 tetraplegics during the intial 8 months of paralysis (early) and in 16 others during the subsequent period (late). The diuresis caused by both treatments led to more haemoconcentration in early than in late patients. In contrast with the healthy subjects on low sodium, the tetraplegics had a delayed urinary sodium retention and no fall in calciuria. During thiazide, urinary sodium depletion occurred early and the urine calcium fell after 3 days in all tetraplegics. During both treatments, aldosterone and renin increased more in early patients than in the other groups. The clinical implications of inducing dehydration and a sustained stimulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis in recently injured tetraplegics with severe orthostatic hypotension are discussed.