Control and abnormlities of salt and body water Flashcards
Changes in plasma [Na] suggest what?
Suggest excess or deficit of body water
What is osmolality?
The number of particles per unit volume of fluid
Osmolality
Per kg water
Osmolarity
per litre solution
Sodium
The principal cation in the ECFV : 135-145 mmol L-1 (mM)
Plasma osmolarity equation
2[Na] + 2[K] + [glucose] + [urea]
Normal plasma osmolality
275-295 mOsm Kg-1
Plasma [Na]
135-145 mmol/L
Hypernatremia
Means hyperosmolality
Hyponatremia
Means hypo-osmolality
How is the osmolality of ECFV adjusted?
Osmoreceptors: sensory receptors located in hypothalamus sense changes in osmolality of ECFV
Increase in osmolality stimulates
- thirst
- Secretion of vasopressin (ADH)
What is ADH?
Osmoregulation hormone
How does ADH work?
Regulates plasma osmolality primarily by controlling water excretion and reabsorption
Excretion of water is normally regulated independently of excretion of solute
How is ADH secretion regulated?
Two major physiological mechanisms
Under normal conditions the function of ADH is osmoregulation
A large drop in arterial pressure is also a powerful stimulus for the release
Volume depletion
Hemorrhage, loss of BP sufficient to stimulate ADH
Thirst and water intake
First and highly effective line of defense against dehydration
What are the 2 types of thirst
Hyperosmotic thirst
Hypovolemic thirst
What happens in normal circumstances for the vasopressin system?
Maintain plasma osmolarity at 285 mOsmol L-1 in the face of variable water intake
Solute load
Estimated at 10 x BW in kg (mOsmol L-1)
Solute load in detail
If max urine concentration is 1200 mOsmol L-1 then 0.5 L is required to excrete this load
If min urine concentration is 50 then 12L would be required to urine to excrete water, within these limits
Abnormalities of water balance
Water excess
Water depletion
Water excess
Excessive water intake, impairment in renal water excretion
Water depletion
Insufficient water intake, impairment in renal water reabsorption
Continued water intake with failure to suppress ADH can lead to water overload and hyponatremia examples
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Certain drugs (MDMA,’ecstacy’ promotes ADH secretion)
Ectopic secretion of ADH (syndrome of inappropriate ADH secretion, SIADH)
Hypocortisolism
Primary adrenal insufficiency (Addison’s disease)