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[Functional test with potassium chloride following long-term space mission]
1State Research Center "Institute of Medical-Biological Problems", RF.
Aviakosmicheskaia I Ekologicheskaia Meditsina = Aerospace and Environmental Medicine
|January 1, 1997
Summary
Kidney potassium excretion remained stable post-mission, but calcium excretion increased. Effective countermeasures likely preserved renal potassiuretic function after spaceflight.
Area of Science:
- Space medicine
- Renal physiology
Context:
- Six-month space missions can impact physiological functions.
- Cosmonauts experience musculoskeletal deconditioning during spaceflight.
Purpose:
- To assess kidney potassiuretic function post-MIR missions.
- To evaluate the impact of spaceflight on potassium and calcium excretion.
Summary:
- A potassium loading test was administered to 11 cosmonauts before and after a six-month MIR mission.
- Post-flight, no significant changes in group-average potassium excretion were observed, but calcium excretion increased.
- Reduced blood potassium levels were noted immediately after landing.
Impact:
- Effective in-flight physical countermeasures appear crucial for maintaining renal potassiuretic function.
- Findings highlight the importance of countermeasures for mitigating spaceflight-induced physiological changes.