The intracellular fluid compartment is smaller than commonly believed when measured by whole-body bioimpedance

Robert G. Hahn; Marc Giménez-Milà

doi:10.1515/jbcpp-2021-0022

Article

The intracellular fluid compartment is smaller than commonly believed when measured by whole-body bioimpedance

Robert G. Hahn and Marc Giménez-Milà

Published/Copyright: May 7, 2021

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From the journal Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology Volume 34 Issue 1

Abstract

Objectives

To report our data on the total body water (TBW), intracellular volume (ICV), extracellular volume (ECV), and fat-free mass (FFM) from studies using whole-body bioimpedance (BIA) with the aim of contrasting them to commonly cited reference values.

Methods

Data were retrospectively retrieved from three single-center studies of adult healthy male volunteers and one study of women scheduled for abdominal hysterectomy where multifrequency BIA had been applied to obtain measurements of TBW, ICV, ECV, and FFM.

Results

Based on measurements performed in 44 males, the TBW, ICV, ECV, and FFM represented 49.1 (4.9)%, 23.32 (3.1)%, 25.8 (2.2)%, and 67.4 (7.4)% of the BW, respectively (mean, SD). In 15 females, these volumes were 40.4 (4.5)%, 18.0 (2.1)%, 22.4 (2.6)%, and 55.6 (6.1)% per kg BW, respectively. The deviation of these measurements from the reference values increased linearly with body weight and age.

Conclusions

Body fluid volumes indicated by BIA showed that TBW amounted to 80% of the reference volume, which is 60% per kg BW in adult males. The ratio between the ICV and the ECV was approximately 1:1, while this ratio is traditionally reported to be 2:1.

Keywords: bioimpedance analysis; fluid compartment volume; total body water

Corresponding author: Robert G. Hahn, MD, PhD, Department of Anesthesia & Intensive Care, Research Unit, Södertälje Hospital, 152 86 Södertälje, Sweden; and Karolinska Institutet at Danderyds Hospital (KIDS), Stockholm, Sweden, E-mail: r.hahn@telia.com

Acknowledgments

None.

Research funding: None declared.
Author contributions: Both the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.
Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
Ethical approval: All the studies took place in a large regional hospital (Södersjukhuset) in Stockholm, Sweden. They were approved by the Ethics Committee of Huddinge University Hospital (Dnr. 54:95, 428:97, 228:98, and 34:99; Chairmen Lennart Kaijser and Ola Eiken).

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Received: 2021-01-15

Accepted: 2021-04-16

Published Online: 2021-05-07

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/jbcpp-2021-0022

Keywords for this article

bioimpedance analysis; fluid compartment volume; total body water