Fluid And Electrolytes Research Paper

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Fluid is a major component of our body and serves a vital role in our health and in normal cellular functions by serving as a medium for metabolic reactions in the cell. Fluid also moves nutrients into the body by the digestive system and moves waste products out of the body by way of the kidneys. Extracellular and intracellular fluids contain solutes such as dissolved nutrients, waste products and charged particles called electrolytes. Fluid and electrolytes play a vital role in homeostasis, which is the ability of the body (or cell) to maintain a relatively constant internal environment when dealing with external changes. Homeostasis must exist for the cells to function properly and the maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balances are necessary for homeostasis. To maintain homeostasis, ions move between the extracellular and intracellular fluid compartments through selectively permeable membranes by a variety of methods such as …show more content…

They separate into ions and carry an electrical charge and are vital to maintain health and function in body systems. The fluid in each of the body compartments (intracellular, extracellular, and intravascular) contain electrolytes. Each compartment has a particular composition of electrolytes, which differs from that of the other compartments. Sodium, in its electrolyte form, makes up most of the extracellular compartment.
Sodium is vital for biochemical processes in the body. One of its many functions is to maintain osmotic pressure of extracellular fluid to regulate water excretion and retention. It aids in the regulation and the transmission of nerve impulses in the nervous system by generating a voltage for action potentials which stimulate effector organs such as cardiac muscle, to contract. It also uses baroreceptors to sense changes in blood pressure and is a primary player in the Na+/K+ ATPase cellular

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