Abstract
Conclusion
A fairly large number of persons show a marked urinary alkalinity which persists through the morning period. This alkalinity may be independent of diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract, and of the type of diet preceding the test. It may not be present during the afternoon period. It probably represents an unusual adjustment to waking conditions, exaggerated in most instances by the secretion of hydrochloric acid by the stomach.
The reason why such an adjustment is different in these cases from that more commonly observed did not appear in a study of the type of patient upon whom the results were obtained. It seems to the authors that the following general statement covers the fact: there are 2 methods of compensating for a tendency towards alkalosisthrough the urine and through the lungs. In these subjects the compensation is accomplished through the kidneys to a greater extent than is the case in most persons.
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