Resource Library
 |
Powered by Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Healthcare Consumers |
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
diuretic (di″u-ret´ik) increasing diuresis (urine excretion). an agent that does this, such as common substances like tea, coffee, and water, as well as medications. Types include loop diuretics, osmotic diuretics, potassium-sparing diuretics, and thiazide diuretics, with the most frequently prescribed being the thiazides. Diuretics are used chiefly in treatment of edema resulting from conditions other than kidney disease, such as in heart failure. Many, especially the thiazides, are used in treatment of hypertension, usually along with other antihypertensive agents. loop diuretic
a type that blocks active transport of chloride in the ascending limb of the loop of Henle, which stops coupled passive reabsorption
of sodium. osmotic diuretic
a type that produces rapid loss of sodium and water by inhibiting their reabsorption in the kidney tubules and loop of Henle;
they also increase the osmolality of plasma, thus increasing diffusion of water from the intraocular and cerebrospinal fluids,
and are used for reducing the pressure of these fluids. potassium-sparing diuretic
a type that blocks the exchange of sodium for potassium and hydrogen ions in the distal tubule, causing an increase in excretion of sodium and chloride with a negligible increase
in potassium excretion. This type does not carry the threat of potassium loss, but they sometimes cause a problem of too much
potassium (hyperkalemia). thiazide diuretics
a type chemically in the thiazide family; these decrease reabsorption of sodium by the kidney and thereby increase loss of water and sodium. They also increase
urinary secretion of chloride, potassium, and, to some extent, bicarbonate ions. These are the most frequently prescribed
diuretics, because they are moderately potent and have relatively few side effects.
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
