If a toxin inhibits the kidneys' ability to alter water concentration, what direct effect would this have on plasma composition?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking about the direct effect on plasma composition if a toxin inhibits the kidneys' ability to alter water concentration. Specifically, it's testing your understanding of how kidney function relates to electrolyte balance, waste concentration, pH maintenance, and plasma protein concentration.
Answer
The toxin would cause imbalances in plasma osmolality because the kidneys could not effectively regulate water and electrolyte balance.
If a toxin inhibits the kidneys' ability to alter water concentration, it would directly impact plasma composition by preventing the kidneys from effectively regulating water and electrolyte balance. This would likely lead to imbalances in plasma osmolality, potentially causing it to become too dilute or too concentrated.
Answer for screen readers
If a toxin inhibits the kidneys' ability to alter water concentration, it would directly impact plasma composition by preventing the kidneys from effectively regulating water and electrolyte balance. This would likely lead to imbalances in plasma osmolality, potentially causing it to become too dilute or too concentrated.
More Information
The kidneys play a vital role in maintaining the balance of water and electrolytes in the body. They do this by filtering the blood and adjusting the amount of water and electrolytes that are reabsorbed back into the bloodstream or excreted in the urine. If the kidneys' ability to concentrate or dilute urine is impaired, it directly affects the composition of the blood plasma.
Tips
A common mistake is to focus solely on the water aspect and neglect the electrolyte imbalances that would also occur. Remember that water balance and electrolyte balance are closely linked.
Sources
- Plasma Osmolarity - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics - sciencedirect.com
- Physiology, Osmoregulation and Excretion - StatPearls - NCBI - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Regulation of Fluid Volume and Composition - Lumen Learning - courses.lumenlearning.com
AI-generated content may contain errors. Please verify critical information
