Assessment of systemic corticosteroid activity

AbstractThe potency of the inhaled corticosteroid, dose, duration of treatment, and the study subject receiving treatment all play a role in the effects observed on the HPA axis. At low/medium doses of inhaled corticosteroids, where there is minimal/modest HPA axis suppression, there should be no risk of adrenal crisis even under stressful conditions (6). Thus, the risk of acute adrenal insufficiency, culminating in adrenal crisis, in patients taking inhaled steroids is extremely unlikely

EFFECTS OF CHANGE IN BODY POSTURE ON PLASMA AND SERUM ELECTROLYTES IN NORMAL SUBJECTS AND IN PRIMARY ALDOSTERONISM

We observed that change in body posture from the supine to the erect position in normal volunteers was associated with a rise in circulating potassium and a fall in sodium concentrations, irrespective of whether the electrolytes were measured in serum or plasma, or whether head-up tilt or ambulation was used. In patients with primary aldosteronism, the fall in serum sodium and rise in serum potassium with ambulation tended to obscure the characteristic electrolyte abnormalities of that syndrome. These changes in potassium and sodium could contribute to the rise in aldosterone secretion on orthostasis. The body posture of patients should be considered in the interpretation of plasma and serum electrolyte levels.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75439/1/j.1365-2265.1981.tb02972.x.pd