NEONATAL DIURETIC THERAPY MAY NOT ALTER CHILDRENS PREFERENCE FOR SALTTASTE

Human neonates are occasionally treated with diuretics, and we investi gated whether this causes a long-term enhancement of salt preference. Salt preference was examined in children aged 4-11 years. Twenty one o f the children had received furosemide therapy as preterm neonates, an d 24 were preterm neonates from the same ward that had no furosemide t herapy. No differences were found between the two groups in preferred concentration of NaCl in soup, in consumption of salty items, and in b lood and urine sodium and creatinine. However, in a tested subsample, fractional excretion of sodium (FENa) was higher in the neonatally tre ated children, suggesting increased salt intake. Reported severity of morning sickness in the mother when pregnant with the child, the child 's history of diarrhoea and vomiting and degree of dietary salt exposu re were obtained by questionnaire. These variables also did not influe nce salt preference, or blood and urine sodium and creatinine, except for a correlation between dietary salt exposure and blood sodium conce ntration. We conclude that while the physiological evidence suggests i ncreased salt intake in children treated neonatally with furosemide, m ore sensitive tests of salt preference at this age are required to rev eal any influence early mineralofluid loss may have on salt preference in childhood. (C) 1998 Academic Press Limited.