Anatomy & Physiology Test 6 Review Part 2

Fluid & Electrolyte Balance

Interrelationship of fluid and electrolyte balance

o Fluid and electrolyte balance- implies homeostasis
o Fluid balance and electrolyte balance are interdependent

Total Body Water

o Fluid content of the human body ranges from 45% to 75%
Elderly 45%
Young Males 60%
Young Females 50%
Infants 75%

Body fluid compartments

o Two major fluid compartments
Extracellular fluid- makes up internal environment of body
Consists mainly of plasma (2nd largest) and interstitial
fluid (largest)
Lymph
Intracellular fluid- water inside the cell

Avenues by which water enters and leaves the body

o Water enters the body via the digestive tract; water is also added to
the total fluid volume from each cell as it catabolizes food, and the
resulting water enters the blood stream
o Water leaves the body via four exits
As urine through the kidney
As water in expired air through the lungs
As sweat through the skin
As feces from the intestines

Some general principles about fluid balance

o Cardinal principal of fluid balance: fluid balance can be maintained
only if intakes equal output
o Mechanisms are available to adjust output and intake to maintain
fluid balance ex: renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS)
o Most rapid fluid balance mechanisms are those for controlling water
movement between fluid compartments of the body; will maintain
normal blood volume at the expense of interstitial fluid volume

Mechanisms that maintain homeostatis

o Under normal conditions, homeostasis of total volume of water is
maintained or restored primarily by adjusting urine volume and
secondarily by fluid intake

o Regulation of fluid intake- decrease in fluid intake causes

osmoreceptors in thirst center- wall of third ventricle and in
supraoptic paraventricular nuclei of hypothalamus- to increase
secretion of ADH
o Factors that alter fluid loss under abnormal conditions
Rate of respiration and volume of sweat secreted may alter
fluid output under certain abnormal conditions
Vomiting, diarrhea, or intestinal drainage can produce fluid
and electrolyte imbalances; symptoms range from simple thirst
to muscle weakness and kidney failure

Regulation of water and electrolyte levels in plasma and interstitial fluid

o Edema- classic example of abnormally large amounts of fluid in the
intercellular tissue spaces of the body
Can be cuased by disturbances in any factors that govern
interchange between blood plasma and interstitial fluid
compartments
Retention of electrolytes in the extracellular fluid
Increase in capillary blood pressure
Decreases in the concentration

Regulation of water and electrolyte levels in intracellular fluid

o Plasma membrane plays critical role in regulating ICF composition
(permeable)

Regulation of Sodium and potassium levels in body fluids

o Normal sodium concentration in IF and potassium concentration in
ICF depend on various factors, especially the amount of ADH and
aldosterone secreted
ADH regulates ECF electrolyte concentration and colloid
osmotic pressure by regulating amount of water reabsorbed
into blood by renal tubules