Measurement of rates of excretion of sweat solutes under physiological conditions

¹ Physiology Branch, Environmental Protection Research Division, Quartermaster Research and Engineering Command, U.S. Army, Quartermaster Research and Engineering Center, Natick, Massachusetts

An apparatus is described which permits the study of rates of excretion of sweat solutes under physiological conditions from an arm, and which permits regulation of skin temperature of the arm independent of ambient conditions. The apparatus permits the collection from the arm of all sweat solutes separately from the associated water. This is accomplished by isolating an arm in a thermoregulated copper cylinder. Air is circulated through the cylinder and the sweat water is collected in a trap system; the solutes are subsequently washed from the arm and the washings are analyzed. It was shown that the rates of excretion of sodium, potassium, chloride, ‘apparent’ creatinine and urea were the same from an arm enclosed in the apparatus as from the unenclosed arm. Thus, the apparatus can be validly used in studying the effects of various environments on sweat gland activity for the five substances measured.

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				S. M. Shirreffs and R. J. Maughan Whole body sweat collection in humans: an improved method with preliminary data on electrolyte content J Appl Physiol, January 1, 1997; 82(1): 336 - 341. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]