Journal of the American Medical Association · 1930 · 14 citations · 5 references
AgricultureNutritionNutritional SciencesHuman NutritionImmunopathologyInflammationEdemaMalnutritionNutrition In Gastrointestinal DisordersNutritional DeficienciesNutritional DisordersPlasma ProteinsCapillary Pressure RelationshipsColloid Osmotic PressureOsmotic PressureOsmotic Pressure AdjustmentOsmotic Pressure RegulationProtein MalnutritionProtein Osmotic PressureStarvation Pathology
Inanition edema, though most frequently associated with the dietary deficiencies of war time, is found also in cases of malnutrition secondary to disease of the gastro-intestinal tract. Wolferth 1 reported two cases of this type which presented very low serum protein percentages, and mentioned the importance of recognizing the nutritional factor. Schittenhelm 2 has emphasized the low protein diet as a cause of starvation edema in Europe during the recent war. A low blood protein percentage, rising with subsidence of the edema, was an outstanding feature in this series of cases. This diminution of the plasma proteins is of particular interest in view of the accumulating evidence which shows that the interchange of fluid between blood and tissue spaces depends on the balance between the colloid osmotic pressure of the plasma proteins and capillary pressure, Direct measurements on single capillaries in animals (Landis 3 ) showed that filtration of fluid into
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