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Fluids and electrolytes are essential to maintaining life and well being. Knowledge of a person's fluid requirements in health and disease helps to prevent problems and maximizes their quality of life. This article will briefly review the normal daily needs for fluids and electrolytes and describe some of the associated challenges with intestinal stomas or diseases.
The human body is a contained fluid environment of water and electrolytes. in fact, the human body is 60 percent water by weight. Of this, 40 percent of body weight is water contained in cells (called intracellular water) and 20 percent is water outside cells (extracellular water). Blood contains the fluid inside blood cells and the fluid that surrounds the cells (plasma). The usual blood volume is 7-8 percent of the total body weight. The average person weighs 60 to 70 kilograms which makes the average blood volume as 4.2 to 4.9 liters, about 5 quarts.
Electrolytes are normal chemicals dissolved in body fluids that are needed to maintain body activities and are important in keeping water inside cells. The body moves electrolytes in and out of cells which allows water to move between different parts of the body. If the water shifts too much or too fast, some of the cells may shrink or swell which prevents them from working properly. This explains why abnormal levels of electrolytes or fluids causes a person to become weak or ill. Correcting these abnormalities may require the need to take medications or extra fluid and electrolytes by mouth or intravenously.
Im ortant Electrolytes
The most important electrolytes are sodium, potassium and chloride. Sodium is the major electrolyte in the fluid outside cells (blood and tissue fluid) while potassium is the major electrolyte inside cells. Chloride is attached to and moves with the sodium and potassium. Water is an essential nutrient needed by every body cell. Water controls body temperature, serves as a building material and solvent and transports nutrients. Thirst is a signal that the body needs fluids.
Normally, the amount of water and electrolytes in a person's body is relatively constant. Losses are replaced by liquids and food ingested. Fluids (water and electrolytes) are lost in a number of ways. Water is lost from the lungs from breathing. Relatively...