[Antidiuretic hormone content in the blood plasma of patients with chronic circulatory insufficiency]

The antidiuretic hormone (ADH) content in the blood plasma in comparison with its osmosis, the mass of circulating blood and the Na/K ratio in the urine was studied in 59 patients with rheumatic heart disease, atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis and chronic nonspecific affections of the lungs with and without circulatory insufficiency. The blood plasma ADH level is shown to increase significantly only with circulatory insufficiency of the IIB-III stage, whereas the plasma osmosis first has a tendency to rise and then gradually declines. This may suggest a deranged regulation of the ADH secretion with a higher osmosis of the plasma. No clear-cut parallelism between changes in the ADH level, the mass of circulating blood and plasma, the Na/K ratio in the urine and diurnal urinary output could be noted.