Question

An individual visits his physician with the complaint of needing salt all the time. After physical exam and lab work, the physician diagnoses a salt-losing nephropathy (a renal tubule disease). What type of electrolyte disorder is this?

a) Hyperkalemia
b) Hyponatremia
c) Hypercalcemia
d) Hypokalemia

Answer 1

A person with salt-losing nephropathy typically has the electrolyte disorder hyponatremia due to the poor reabsorption and excessive loss of sodium through the urine, leading to lower-than-normal sodium levels in the blood.

Step-by-step explanation:

An individual with salt-losing nephropathy typically experiences a renal tubular disorder where there is an abnormal loss of sodium from the body. This condition can lead to a specific type of electrolyte disorder known as hyponatremia, which is a lower-than-normal concentration of sodium in the blood.

In patients with salt-losing nephropathy, excessive renal sodium loss occurs due to abnormalities in the renal tubules. These tubules fail to reabsorb sodium properly, leading to its loss in urine and resulting in sodium deficits within the body. Over time, if sodium is continually excreted and not sufficiently taken in through the diet, the person may crave salt as the body attempts to compensate for the loss.

Conditions such as chronic renal disease with acidosis, metabolic acidosis, diabetic ketoacidosis, or instances of prolonged vomiting and diarrhea which result in excessive loss of fluids, could contribute to or exacerbate the hyponatremia.