Abstract
A glycosuria occurring early in the course of severe acute uranium nephritis is a matter of common observation, but its mechanism is by no means clearly understood. The appearance of the urinary sugar has almost universally been attributed to the high blood sugar levels that are frequently observed in this type of nephritis, although Frank 1 believed that glycosuria might occur while the blood sugar was normal.
In our series of experiments 11 fasting female dogs were each given a single subcutaneous injection of 15 mg. uranium nitrate per kilogram of body weight. Four of the animals were killed with chloroform when the glycosuria was estimated to be at its greatest height, while the remaining 7 were permitted to live until they died with uremic manifestations. The blood sugar, blood non-protein nitrogen, total blood solids, urinary sugar and nitrogen, water ingestion, and urinary secretion were accurately determined at frequent intervals both before the administration of the uranium and throughout the subsequent life of the animals.
It was found that the glycosuria accompanied by a polyuria made its appearance 6 to 10 hours after the injection of uranium, reached its greatest height in about 28 hours, and lasted 9 to 44 hours. Throughout the course of the glycosuria the blood sugar remained normal or fell to a level slightly below that of the pre-uranium period. None of the blood sugar values observed during the glycosuria were suggestive of a hyperglycemia.
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