title: Mild orotic aciduria and uricosuria in severe trauma victims.
abstract: Hypermetabolic responses with respect to pyrimidine and purine kinetics in trauma victims were investigated during the catabolic phase before and after nutritional support. Orotic acid and uric acid excretions were measured in 32 adult, severely traumatized, hypermetabolic, and highly catabolic patients while they were receiving fluids with no calories or nitrogen. Patients were then fed intravenously amino acids and glucose or glucose alone or fed enterally for 5-6 d. Daily excretions of orotic acid, uric acid, urea, nitrogen, and creatinine were monitored. Mild orotic aciduria and uricosuria with hypouricemia were the basal-trauma responses. The significant (P = 0.001, r = 0.70) positive correlation between orotic and uric acid excretion demonstrates the parallelism between pyrimidine and purine metabolism. Feeding for 5-6 d could decrease but not readily abolish the injury-induced metabolic changes in nitrogen, pyrimidine, and purine metabolism. Glucose infusion alone may be sufficient to counteract the metabolic effects of trauma in the early flow phase of injury.
authors.affiliation: Trauma Center, St Joseph's Hospital & Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ 85013.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeevanandam
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ramias
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Schiller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D005260:Female; D005440:Fluid Therapy; D005947:Glucose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000628:therapy / Q000652:urine*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000652:urine; D009963:Orotic Acid / Q000652:urine*; D010288:Parenteral Nutrition; D011687:Purines / Q000378:metabolism; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000378:metabolism; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014508:Urea / Q000652:urine; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D011687:Purines; D011743:Pyrimidines; D014527:Uric Acid; D009963:Orotic Acid; D014508:Urea; D003404:Creatinine; D005947:Glucose; D009584:Nitrogen