RT Book, Section A1 Jackson, Edwin K. A2 Brunton, Laurence L. A2 Knollmann, Björn C. SR Print(0) ID 1193232129 T1 Drugs Affecting Renal Excretory Function T2 Goodman & Gilman's: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 14th Edition YR 2023 FD 2023 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781264258079 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1193232129 RD 2024/10/13 AB The kidney filters the extracellular fluid volume across the renal glomeruli an average of 12 times a day, and the renal nephrons precisely regulate the fluid volume of the body and its electrolyte content via processes of secretion and reabsorption. Disease states such as hypertension, heart failure, renal failure, nephrotic syndrome, and cirrhosis may disrupt this balance. Diuretics increase the rate of urine flow and Na+ excretion and are used to adjust the volume or composition of body fluids in these disorders. Precise regulation of body fluid osmolality is also essential. It is controlled by a finely tuned homeostatic mechanism that operates by adjusting both the rate of water intake and the rate of solute-free water excretion by the kidneys—that is, water balance. Abnormalities in this homeostatic system can result from genetic diseases, acquired diseases, or drugs and may cause serious and potentially life-threatening deviations in plasma osmolality.