Abstract
To the Editor: The Sounding Board article (Nov. 18 issue)1 by Griner and Glaser should not go unquestioned. The authors opine that the prevalence of marked electrolyte disturbances in healthy persons not receiving medication approaches 1 in 1000. They argue that the electrolyte component of the SMA-6 is therefore not useful in screening. I am not surprised that the prevalence of abnormalities in the population, as defined, would be 1 in 1000. The population the authors describe is of the type that, if we are lucky, we try to employ for establishing normal ranges. It is unclear to me that.