[Plasma levels of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) in the stroke patients after glycerol and mannitol infusion].

This study included 43 patients with stroke in a range of 48 to 85 years of age. Among them, 24 were male and 19 were female. Changes in blood pressure, plasma ANF (by radioimmunoassay), serum sodium, and serum osmolarity before and 40 minutes after hyperosmotic agents infusion were studied. The stroke was classified to be putaminal hemorrhage in 12 cases, thalamic hemorrhage in 5 cases, putaminothalamic hemorrhage in 2 cases, lobar hematoma in 2 cases, cerebral infarction in 20 cases and brainstem ischemic stroke in 2 cases. Twenty-nine patients received glycerol and the other fourteen received mannitol. After glycerol or mannitol infusion, the plasma ANF raised significantly (P less than 0.05, paired Student's test), also the serum osmolarity (P less than 0.05, paired Student's t test), but the blood pressure and serum sodium kept unchanged. Either before or after the hyperosmotic agents, no significant difference in plasma ANF was noted between the hemorrhagic and infarction patients, between the right and the left hemispheric stroke, or between male and female patients. We did not observe age-related (less than 65 or greater than 65 years) difference in plasma ANF concentration in this study, either.