Sylvia is suffering from severe edema in her arms and legs. Her physician prescribes a diuretic (a substance that will increase the volume of urine produced). Why might this help to alleviate Sylvia's problem?
What will be an ideal response?
One simple answer is that a diuretic reduces the free fluid in the body. A more complex explanation is that
increasing the volume of urine produced would decrease the total blood volume of the body. This in turn would
lead to a decreased blood hydraulic pressure. Edema is frequently the result of hydraulic pressure of the blood
exceeding the opposing forces at the capillaries in the affected area. Depending on the actual cause of the edema,
decreasing the blood hydraulic pressure would decrease edema formation and possibly cause some of the fluid to
move from the interstitial space back to the blood. Diuresis would also increase the concentration of the proteins in
the plasma, contributing to the fluid's movement out of the tissues and into the blood.
You might also like to view...
Which of the following organs secrete hormones?
(1) pancreas (2) liver (3) brain (4) suprarenal cortex (5) suprarenal medulla (6) thymus (7) ovary (8) testis (9) thyroid gland (10) pineal gland A) 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 B) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 C) 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 D) 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 E) 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
Leptospirosis is spread by contact with ______________________
Fill in the blank(s) with correct word
Which statement is correct?
a. Water reabsorption is under control of vasopressin throughout the length of the nephron. b. The ascending limb of the loop of Henle is always impermeable to water. c. Vasopressin makes the distal and collecting tubules impermeable to water. d. Fifteen percent of the filtered water osmotically follows the absorption of Na+ and other solutes in the proximal tubule. e. Water reabsorption is passive in the early portions of the nephron but is active in the distal portions of the nephron.
The test tubes in the photograph contain Benedict's solution and two unknown substances that have been heated. What do the results indicate?
What will be an ideal response?