Tackling Cerebral Salt Wasting: Searching for the Cause and Cure
2006 Seed Grant
Fernando D. Goldenberg, M.D.
The University of Chicago
Cerebral salt Wasting leading to hyponatremia in patients with aneurysmal SAH can be a devastating entity. Its pathophysiology is not well understood yet. Establishing a causal relationship between marinobufagenin and this sodium balance disorder will help establishing an appropriate diagnostic algorhytm, predicting the CSW development and elaborating antibodies against marinobufagenin for the treatment of this disorder.
The decrease in the serum sodium level carries potentially deadly consequences. It is a common finding in patients with some kinds of intracranial hemorrhages. The mechanisms involved in the genesis of this disorder are not well understood and also a matter of debate at the present time. Dr. Goldenberg’s lab is trying to establish a link between a naturally occurring substance, marinobufagenin, and this metabolism alteration. There is experimental evidence that suggests that it is elevated in some disease states where there is an increased urinary excretion of sodium resulting in a drop of its serum levels. If they can establish this causal relationship, they will be able to understand the pathophysiology better, make the diagnosis of this disorder simpler, predict its occurrence and eventually develop a treatment for it.
