[Etiology, diagnostics and therapy of hyponatremias].

Etiopathogenesis, diagnostics and therapy of hyponatremias are summarized for clinicians. Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte abnormality. Mild to moderate hyponatremia and severe hyponatremia are found in 15-30% and 1-4% of hospitalized patients, respectively.

[Diabetes insipidus: etiology, diagnosis, and therapy].

Diabetes insipidus is a disorder of the water retaining ability of the organism. It is a polydipsic-polyuric syndrome caused by partial or complete vasopressin deficiency (central diabetes insipidus) or vasopressin resistance of the kidney tubules (nephrogenic diabetes insipidus) or increased water intake due to oversensitivity of the thirst centre (dipsogenic diabetes insipidus = primary polydipsia). The pathogenetic factors may affect the osmoreceptors, the vasopressinergic magnocellular nuclei of the hypothalamus, the median eminence, the pituitary stalk, the vasopressin release from the neurohypophysis, the vasopressin inactivating mechanisms and the renal structures mediating the antidiuretic effect of vasopressin.

[Current alternative in the pharmacotherapy of acromegaly: the long-acting somatostatin analogue octreotide].

Twelve active acromegalic patients (10 women, 2 men) were chronically treated with a long-acting microcapsulated preparation of octreotide (Sandostatin LAR, Novartis). In each case, a growth hormone-producing pituitary adenoma was responsible for the development of acromegaly (microadenomas in 3 and macroadenomas in the rest of the patients). Treatment with long-acting octreotide was indicated for those patients who had not reacted satisfactorily upon previous therapeutic procedures or proved to be unsuitable for irradiation therapy and/or surgery or refused both of these therapies.