ALDOSTERONE SECRETION AND METABOLISM IN NORMAL MEN AND WOMEN AND IN PREGNANCY

Abstract

There are many reports of high urinary values of aldosterone in the last trimester of normal pregnancy (Venning et al., 1957, Martin & Mills, 1956, Rinsler & Rigby, 1957, Wolff et al., 1958, and Venning, 1956). The results of Baulieu et al. (1958) demonstrating very low urinary excretion of aldosterone by pregnant women with Addison's disease, maintained in normal electrolyte balance by small amounts of fluoro-hydrocortisone, indicate that the source of the hormone in normal pregnancy is adrenal rather than placental. Buchborn et al. (1957) have pointed out that in pregnancy not only is the aldosterone excretion high considering the sodium output but there is little correlation between the two values. Patients with adrenal tumour with these values of aldosterone excretion have profound disturbances in electrolyte metabolism (Foye & Feichtmeir, 1955). Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain this enigma (Martin & Mills, 1956, Rinsler & Rigby, 1957) but they