PEDIATRICS Vol. 20 No. 1 July 1957, pp. 105-120
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Frenk, S.
Right arrow Articles by Antonowicz, I.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Frenk, S.
Right arrow Articles by Antonowicz, I.

INTRACELLULAR COMPOSITION AND HOMEOSTATIC MECHANISMS IN SEVERE CHRONIC INFANTILE MALNUTRITION

II. Composition of Tissues

Silvestre Frenk M.D.1, Jack Metcoff M.D.1, Federico Gómez M.D.1, Rafael Ramos-Galván M.D.1, Joaquin Cravioto M.D.1, and Irena Antonowicz M.Sc.1

1 Hospital Infantil de México, Mexico City, Children's Medical Center, Boston, and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School

Data obtained in a study of chemical composition of tissues in malnourished pre-school children are reported. In most cases, muscle and skin show an increase in total content of water, sodium and chloride. These changes are less striking but persist during "dehydration" judged on clinical grounds.

The content of potassium in muscle was slightly to moderately decreased particularly in clinically edematous children. Edematous patients also had a markedly decreased intracellular concentration of potassium. In general, no correlation between intracellular concentration of sodium and potassium was found in muscle. Muscle obtained shortly before death or immediately after death frequently showed a marked shift of water and sodium into the intracellular compartment. A low ratio of concentration of potassium to noncollagenous nitrogen as compared to normals generally was observed.

The skins of subjects without clinically demonstrable edema had comparable amounts of water but less fat per unit of dry fat-free solids than those of children with pitting edema. No particular correlation was found between overhydration and increase in content of the ("excess") chloride of the non-extracellular phase.

Submitted on July 2, 1956
Accepted on October 22, 1956