Question

A health care provider prescribes a diuretic for a client with hypertension. Which mechanism of action explains how diuretics reduce blood pressure?

a. They facilitate vasodilation.
b. They promotes smooth muscle relaxation.
c. They reduce the circulating blood volume.
d. They block the sympathetic nervous system.

Answer 1

Diuretics can reduce blood pressure by reducing the circulating blood volume.

Step-by-step explanation:

Diuretics can reduce blood pressure by c. reducing the circulating blood volume.

When diuretics are prescribed to a client with hypertension, they increase urine volume and decrease the amount of salt and water that the kidneys reabsorb. This results in a decrease in circulating blood volume, which helps to lower blood pressure.

Answer 2

Diuretics reduce blood pressure by lowering circulating blood volume, primarily through the inhibition of Na+/Cl- reabsorption in the nephron, leading to an increase in urine volume and decreased blood volume.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mechanism of action that explains how diuretics reduce blood pressure is that they reduce the circulating blood volume. Diuretics, such as hydrochlorothiazide, inhibit the Na+/Cl- symporter in the distal convoluted tubule (DCT) and collecting duct of the nephron. This mechanism leads to a loss of Na+ and consequently water follows passively by osmosis, thus reducing blood volume and subsequently lowering blood pressure. Drugs like loop diuretics inhibit the reabsorption of Na+ and Cl- ions in the ascending limb of the loop of Henle, resulting in increased urination because more water remains in the urine due to less Na+ being reabsorbed. This increase in urine volume further contributes to the reduction of overall blood volume.