Examples Of Homeostatic Imbalances
Scientific concept:
Homeostatic mechanisms use negative feedback to regulate a normal condition. Whether a positive or negative change from the normal condition occurs, the body counteracts it to restore the norm.
[ Refer to figure 1 in annex below ]
Osmoregulation is the process where the body regulates a constant blood water potential by controlling its water and solute concentrations.
[ Refer to figure 2.1 and 2.2 in annex below ]
Daily life application:
Homeostasis is crucial to an organism as it allows cells to function correctly. For example, in osmoregulation, if the water potential of blood plasma increases, more water would enter the blood cells by osmosis, causing them to swell and burst (and vice versa). Therefore, homeostatic imbalances, defined as disturbances to the body’s internal environment, often causes diseases. This can be caused by aging, malnutrition or an increased concentration of a specific substance in the blood; which may lead to diseases such as hyperglycemia, diabetes and gout. …show more content…
Gout is a disease caused by excessive amounts of purines or uric acid (hyperuricemia) in the bloodstream and is a form of arthritis.
Patients suffer from severe pain and swelling in certain joints as the abundance of uric acid that form into crystals lodge into the joint. This can caused when the kidney is incapable of filtering out the uric acid from the blood and excreting it as urine. However, since uric acid has Iimited solubility in bodily fluids, gout is primarily caused when hyperuricemia occurs where the high levels of uric acid exceeds the rate of it solubility in the bloodstream. Hence, due to this homeostatic imbalance of purines, the remaining undissolved uric acid forms into these
crystals.
Patients of gout have an increased amount of purines and uric acid in their bloodstream, which is mainly caused by heavy drinking and alcohol (ethanol) abuse. Beer contains high concentrations of purine as a result of its fermentation process. Furthermore, alcohol causes the production of increased amounts of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) in order to break it down. ATP is then converted into Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP), which produces more uric acid. Alcohol also decreases the clearance of uric acid as it helps promote dehydration, and it is normally converted into lactic acid in the body during alcohol metabolism, which inhibits the excretion of uric acid through the urine. Other cause of gout include increased intake of purine rich foods such as shellfish; dehydration; or obesity.
To treat gout, people focus on restoring homeostatic balance and decreasing uric acid levels. Some medications is xanthine oxidase inhibitors like allopurinol, since it is an enzyme that catalyses purines into uric acid. Probenecid, a uricosuric medication is used to increase the rate of uric acid excretion through urine by the kidneys. In daily life, patients should modify their diet by drinking more water, exercising more to decrease obesity, and avoid purine rich foods such as seafood and alcohol. Therefore, homeostatic imbalance is a common concept that can be applied to daily life and is extremely detrimental to our physical health.
Homeostatic mechanisms use negative feedback to regulate a normal condition. Whether a positive or negative change from the normal condition occurs, the body counteracts it to restore the norm.
[ Refer to figure 1 in annex below ]
Osmoregulation is the process where the body regulates a constant blood water potential by controlling its water and solute concentrations.
[ Refer to figure 2.1 and 2.2 in annex below ]
Daily life application:
Homeostasis is crucial to an organism as it allows cells to function correctly. For example, in osmoregulation, if the water potential of blood plasma increases, more water would enter the blood cells by osmosis, causing them to swell and burst (and vice versa). Therefore, homeostatic imbalances, defined as disturbances to the body’s internal environment, often causes diseases. This can be caused by aging, malnutrition or an increased concentration of a specific substance in the blood; which may lead to diseases such as hyperglycemia, diabetes and gout. …show more content…
Gout is a disease caused by excessive amounts of purines or uric acid (hyperuricemia) in the bloodstream and is a form of arthritis.
Patients suffer from severe pain and swelling in certain joints as the abundance of uric acid that form into crystals lodge into the joint. This can caused when the kidney is incapable of filtering out the uric acid from the blood and excreting it as urine. However, since uric acid has Iimited solubility in bodily fluids, gout is primarily caused when hyperuricemia occurs where the high levels of uric acid exceeds the rate of it solubility in the bloodstream. Hence, due to this homeostatic imbalance of purines, the remaining undissolved uric acid forms into these
crystals.
Patients of gout have an increased amount of purines and uric acid in their bloodstream, which is mainly caused by heavy drinking and alcohol (ethanol) abuse. Beer contains high concentrations of purine as a result of its fermentation process. Furthermore, alcohol causes the production of increased amounts of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) in order to break it down. ATP is then converted into Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP), which produces more uric acid. Alcohol also decreases the clearance of uric acid as it helps promote dehydration, and it is normally converted into lactic acid in the body during alcohol metabolism, which inhibits the excretion of uric acid through the urine. Other cause of gout include increased intake of purine rich foods such as shellfish; dehydration; or obesity.
To treat gout, people focus on restoring homeostatic balance and decreasing uric acid levels. Some medications is xanthine oxidase inhibitors like allopurinol, since it is an enzyme that catalyses purines into uric acid. Probenecid, a uricosuric medication is used to increase the rate of uric acid excretion through urine by the kidneys. In daily life, patients should modify their diet by drinking more water, exercising more to decrease obesity, and avoid purine rich foods such as seafood and alcohol. Therefore, homeostatic imbalance is a common concept that can be applied to daily life and is extremely detrimental to our physical health.