Osmolality
Sample: Serum, Urine (random)
Schedule: Daily
Status: CY lab
Units: mOsm/L
Reference range: 275 - 295 (Serum)
Up to 1200 (Urine)
Remarks: The osmolality test is used to evaluate the body’s water balance, to investigate hyponatremia (due to sodium loss through the urine or due to excessive water intake), to monitor osmotically active drug therapies and to investigate increased/decreased urine output (decreased ADH, diabetes mellitus, kidneys failure and others).
Plasma osmolality is increased in dehydration, diabetes, hyperglycemia, hypernatremia,ingestion of ethanol, methanol, or ethylene glycol, kidney failure, shock and decreased in excess hydration, hyponatremia, imbalanced ADH secretion.
Urine osmolality is increased in congestive heart failure, hypernatremia, imbalanced ADH secretion, liver damage, shock a,d decreased in diabetes insipidus, excess fluid intake, hypercalcemia, hypokalemia, kidney tubular damage.
