[Response to a series of carbon dioxide baths]

The authors investigated 28 patients, mean age 43.6 years, during their stay in spa Dudince. The patients had a daily carbon dioxide bath, thermally indifferent, for a period of 20 minutes. During the first, tenth and twentieth bath the humoral circulatory and renal response was assessed. During every bath a standard reaction developed (decline of plasma renin activity and of the aldosterone level, increased excretion of water and minerals, changes of the blood pressure and heart rate). The influence of the series of baths was manifested by a gradual increase of the diuresis, natriuresis, a more permanent drop of the blood pressure and at the end of the series also of the heart rate. The other investigated parameters did not change significantly during the series of baths, as compared with the reaction to a single bath. The attained results justify the conclusion that a series of carbon dioxide baths had a gradually improving effect which is favourable, in particular in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.