Indican, ethereal and other forms of S eliminated in 24 hours urine by elderly Indian subjects

Average daily excretion of Indican in urine of 42 healthy elderly men, av. age 69.9 +/- 5.0 years, (60 observations) was 60.7 +/- 17.4 mg/24 hrs. This is slightly higher than reported values for younger subjects. Average ethereal S elimination by Indian subjects has varied from 72-150 mg/day. Indican is the chief ethereal S eliminated in urine. Other forms of S excreted by elderly subjects were: Inorganic S 720 +/- 150 mg; Ethereal S 74 +/- 22 mg. Indican in them was 53.8 +/- 17.4 mg. This shows that the remaining 20 mg or about 1/4 of the ethereal S is eliminated in urine in other forms. Relationship with age, diet, common disorders along with findings in literature etc. are discussed.