HSS 2342 Lecture Notes - Lecture 35: Water Intoxication, Hyponatremia, Electrolyte
4 Apr 2018
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About 60% of body weight (higher in children) Dependent on body composition: 3/4 of weight in lean tissue is water, < 1/4 of weight in fat tissue. Proportion of water is smallest in: females, obese individuals, elderly. Functions: carries nutrients and waste products, maintains the structure of large molecules, participates in metabolic reactions, serves as a solvent, acts as a lubricant, aids in body temperature regulation, changes can affect blood volume. It is vital that the body maintain an appropriate water balance, such that fluid output = fluid input. Every cell contains fluid and is surrounded by fluid. Controlled by hypothalamus: (cid:449)ater = (cid:272)o(cid:374)(cid:272)e(cid:374)trated (cid:271)lood = thirst, (cid:449)ater i(cid:374)take = diste(cid:374)sio(cid:374) of sto(cid:373)a(cid:272)h = thirst. Water intoxication: confusion, convulsions, death, while the kidneys will try to deal with this water by producing more urine, sometimes the kidneys cannot keep up and hyponatremia (low sodium in blood) develops. Water derived daily from these sources averages about 2. 5 l (10. 5 cups)
