Diuretics Flashcards
Water follows sodium, so what happens if you block sodium resorption into the blood?
More water leaves in the urine because sodium is getting excreted instead of going back into the blood
What’s a way to lower blood pressure?
Blood pressure and blood volume are linked. If you block reabsorption of sodium into the blood then water will follow sodium as it leaves the blood stream. This lowers blood volume and therefore blood pressure
What is the function of carbonic anhydrase?
It facilitates sodium reabsorption and therefore H2O retention.
What is an osmotic diuretic?
It’s a diuretic that inhibit reabsorption of water and sodium
Is mannitol resorbed well?
Not- it keeps water in the urine by making the urine more solute concentrated, thereby drawing water in with it
What are loop diuretics?
They act at the ascending loop of Henle in the kidney.
What are loop diuretics used for?
To treat hypertension and edema due to heart failure or renal insufficiency.
This means that you’re going to urinate more to lower blood volume to treat that hypertension and swelling.
Thiazide diuretics are for people with what?
normally functioning kidneys
Where do loop diuretics act?
On the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle.
Where do thiazides work?
They work in the distal convoluted tube
If something is a potassium-sparing diuretic, what does that mean? Why would you use one?
It means that the drug doesn’t promote the secretion of potassium into the urine.
You use these in conjunction with other diuretics that would make potassium levels dangerously low. This just keeps you safe.
What does aldosterone do?
In response to aldosterone secretion, proteins are made that stimulate the sodium-potassium exchange sites. This ultimately means that aldosterone facilitates the reabsorption of sodium and therefore water. Aldosterone leads to water retention.
Basically all diuretics act on the kidney to make it work less well on the reabsorption of sodium.
That means sodium is excreted and water follows and you have to go to the bathroom more frequently.
Mannitol is what type of diuretic?
An osmotic diuretic
