Mary, a nursing student, has been caring for burn patients. She notices that they consistently show elevated levels of potassium in their urine and wonders why. What would you tell her?
What will be an ideal response?
When tissues are burned, cells are destroyed and the contents of their cytoplasm leak into the interstitial fluid and then move into the plasma. Since potassium ion is normally found within the cell, damage to a large number of cells would release relatively large amounts of potassium into the blood. The elevated potassium levels would stimulate the cells of the adrenal cortex that produce aldosterone. The elevated levels of aldosterone would promote sodium retention and potassium secretion by the kidneys, thus accounting for the elevated levels of potassium in the patient's urine.
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What will be an ideal response?
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