Sodium serum levels in hypoalbuminemic adults at general medical wards.

Hypoalbuminemia may cause interstitial edema and hemodilution, which we hypothesized may influence serum sodium levels. Our purpose was to compare serum sodium levels of hospitalized adults with or without hypoalbuminemia. All sodium and albumin serum levels of 142 adults hospitalized at general medical wards over a six-month period were searched at a University Hospital mainframe computer. Relevant laboratory data and clinical details were also registered. Hypoalbuminemia was defined by serum albumin concentration < 3.3 g/dl Fisher, Mann-Whitney, and Student's t tests were applied to compare groups with or without hypoalbuminemia. Ninety-nine patients, classified as hypoalbuminemic, had lower blood hemoglobin (10.68 +/- 2.62 vs. 13.54 +/- 2.41), and sodium (135.1 +/- 6.44 vs. 139.9 +/- 4.76 mEq/l) and albumin (2.74 +/- 0.35 vs. 3.58 +/- 0.28 g/dl) serum levels than non-hypoalbuminemic (n = 43). Pearson's coefficient showed a significant direct correlation between albumin and sodium serum levels (r = 0.40) and between serum albumin and blood hemoglobin concentration (r = 0.46). Our results suggest that hypoalbuminemic adults have lower serum sodium levels than those without hypoalbuminemia, a phenomenon that may be at least partially attributed to body water retention associated with acute phase response syndrome.

C cells in normal thyroid aspirates.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify C cells in normal thyroid aspirates. STUDY DESIGN: Smears of 18 glands from patients with no thyroid disease, 8 women and 10 men aged on average 52.8 years, were analyzed. Five samples were aspirated from the upper, middle and lower thirds of each lateral lobe and from the isthmus. Smears were stained with anticalcitonin monoclonal antibody. RESULTS: C cells were detected in all specimens, ranging in number from 3 to 19 per gland, with 53.4% of the cells in the right lobe, 42.8% in the left lobe and 3.7% in the isthmus. The aspirates from the right lobe had 0-13 cells in the upper third, 0-9 in the middle third and 0-3 in the lower third. In the left lobe aspirates there were 0-7 cells in the upper third, 0-6 in the middle third and 0-2 in the lower third. One to two C cells were observed in the isthmus in only four cases. CONCLUSION: It is possible to determine the presence of C cells in normal thyroids and confirm studies conducted on histologic material; the cells were more frequently detected in the middle and upper third and mainly on the right side. They were rare in the isthmus. The search for C cells in thyroid aspirates is of great importance because it permits one to confirm rapidly, precisely and minimally invasively cases suspected of C cell hyperplasia, a preneoplastic condition that precedes the development of medullary carcinoma. In addition, the method shows numerical changes in these cells in such conditions as Hashimoto's thyroiditis and colloid goiter, in which the present results could serve as a control.