Hydrolability

HYDROLABILITY, a term introduced by Finkelstein to denote one of the constitutional features of early childhood, consisting of extreme 'lability,' instability, of cellular water: cells possess the ability to both excessively retain water and with excessive ease release it. Some authors identify this feature of water exchange with the so-called hydroptic constitution (Czerny) and with the salt, or disosmotic diathesis (Lesage). However, these conditions rather imply a large water content in tissues, whereas in hydrolability the water content in cells may be normal, but it is bound weakly and is easily released. Hydrolability is usually characteristic of newborns and the smallest children, approximately up to 3 months of age; as a constitutional anomaly, it often manifests itself at a more advanced age. In this case, it usually concerns either children with manifestations of various constitutional anomalies (such as exudative diathesis, neuropathy, hypoplasia, etc.) or generally children with aggravated heredity, for example, those coming from families of alcoholics, mentally ill, etc. Hydrolability manifests itself clinically especially clearly in the easy development of diarrhea and in sharp fluctuations in weight under the influence of various causes: nutritional defects (especially undernutrition, deficiency or excess of salts, carbohydrates, etc.), infections, defects in care, etc. Sometimes the causes are so insignificant that they cannot be established. Thus, the nutrition of a hydrolabile child can be especially easily disturbed (tropholability), and feeding it often presents a very difficult task. Recently, Finkelstein has proposed for constitutional hydrolability the term paratrophia hydrolabilis, meaning by the word paratrophia some degree between normo- and dystrophy, when the weight may be normal, but there is a qualitative inadequacy of the body's cells, which determines the specificity of reactions to external conditions.