title: Intraerythrocytic sodium and potassium concentrations during acute and chronic digitalization.
abstract: To assess the cellular effects of digoxin, intraerythrocytic sodium and potassium concentrations were measured in 17 patients during the early phase of digitalization, in 45 patients on long-term therapy and in 64 non-digitalized control patients. Acute digitalization raised intraerythrocytic sodium from 11.6 +/- 0.4 to 16.7 +/- 1.0 mmol/l (mean +/- SEM) (p less than 0.01) and reduced intraerythrocytic potassium from 100.1 +/- 1.3 to 95.9 +/- 1.8 mmol/l (p less than 0.01). These changes were strongly correlated with the steady-state plasma digoxin concentration. During a few weeks of digoxin therapy, the intraerythrocytic cation composition normalized gradually. In patients on chronic treatment, neither intraerythrocytic sodium (11.3 +/- 0.3 mmol/l) nor potassium concentrations (100.0 +/- 0.6 mmol/l) differed significantly from the values of the control group (11.4 +/- 0.2 and 99.9 +/- 0.5 mmol/l, respectively). The changes in intraerythrocytic cation concentrations, induced by acute digitalization, seem to disappear during chronic administration of the drug.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004077:Digoxin / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D011188:Potassium / Q000097:blood; D012964:Sodium / Q000097:blood; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D004077:Digoxin; D012964:Sodium; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase; D011188:Potassium