Does lithium affect renal sodium handling and renal haemodynamics in normal man?

Renal haemodynamics, sodium excretion, and free-water clearance were evaluated at baseline and after acute frusemide administration in nine moderately volume-expanded healthy volunteers receiving a single administration of either 750 mg lithium carbonate or placebo. Lithium plasma concentration under 0.29 mmol/l exerted no significant effect on renal haemodynamics, on absolute, fractional, or cumulative sodium excretion, or on free-water and chloride clearances at baseline or after frusemide administration. Despite previous volume expansion and presumably depressed proximal reabsorption, frusemide decreased the fractional reabsorption of lithium significantly, suggesting that a small but significant part of lithium may be reabsorbed in the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop. By contrast, frusemide did not change renal haemodynamics or plasma renin activity. Using combined free-water and lithium clearances at baseline and after frusemide administration, fractional reabsorption of sodium in the (FRTAL) was calculated as delta CH2O/CLi, where delta CH2O, the difference in free water clearance before minus after frusemide, is taken as an index of sodium reabsorption in the thick ascending limb, and lithium clearance as an estimation of sodium delivery to the thick ascending limb. FRTAL was calculated in these volume-expanded subjects to lie from 11% to 20% depending on whether some lithium is assumed to be in the thick ascending limb.