Summary Water, Electrolyte and Acid base Balance

Water, Electrolyte and Acid base Balance
Water and Electrolytes
- Are dissolved in water of all body fluids
- Substances that are important to keep in balance to maintain homeostasis
- Body requires mechanisms to replace lost water and electrolytes and to excrete any
excess
- *Alter the concentration of one will alter the concentration of another one*

Distribution of body fluids
- Not uniformly distributed
- Fluids occur in compartments in the body and movement of water and electrolytes
between compartments is regulated
- Male is 63% of water (higher muscle content); Female is 52% water by weight
- Water is distributed between 2 major compartments:
o Intracellular (ICF)
 With cells
 Account for 63% of total body water
 Composition:
o Higher concentration of Potassium,
magnesium ions, phosphate
o Lesser amount of sodium, chloride and bicarbonate ions
o ICF contain more protein than blood plasma

o Extracellular fluid compartment (ECF)
 Include all water and electrolytes outside of cells
 Contain 73% of total body water
 Includes interstitial fluid, blood plasma and lymph
 Composition:
o Higher concentration of sodium, chloride and
bicarbonate ions
o Lesser amount of Potassium, Ca, magnesium,
phosphate and sulfate ions
o Blood plasma is an extracellular fluid, but contain
more protein than the other portions ECF

o Transcellular fluid
 Small portion of the ECF
 Includes cerebrospinal fluid, fluid within the eyeball, synovial fluid of the
joints, gland secretion etc.

Movement of Fluid