The excretion of metabolites of cortisol and aldosterone in male patients on haemodialysis treatment.
A single intravenous infection of 14C-cortisol and 3H-aldosterone was given to four male uraemic patients on haemodialysis (HD) treatment. The excretion of radioactivity was measured during two weeks in urine, HD fluid and faeces, In two patients, who were injected just before dialysis, large amounts of radioactivity were eliminated in the HD fluid (38% and 56% for 3H, 45% and 57% for 14C) and minor amounts were found 3 in the urine ( less than 5%); in the faeces respectively 32% and 30% of 3H and 18% and 26% of 14C were excreted. Two patients who were injected immediately after dialysis (and who also had a somewhat better kidney function) excreted larger amounts of radioactivity in th urine (10% and 24% for 3H, 13% and 41% for 14C) and in the faeces (44% and 62% for 3H, 29%, and 37% for 14C), while in the HD fluid respectively 18% and 4% of 3H and 30% and 12% of 14C was eliminated. The plasma radioactivity just before and just after dialysis showed a very good correlation (r=0.96 to 0.99, p less than 0.001) with the radioactivity eliminated in the first and last hour of HD treatment. Between HD treatments, the radioactivity in plasma did not change or decreased only very little. This finding suggests that metabolities of cortisol and aldosterone to be excreted in the faeces, are very quickly removed from the circulation.