Fluid, electolytes and nutrition

Abstract

There is a close relationship between nutrition, metabolism, and water and electrolyte balance during ingestion, digestion, absorption and metabolism of nutrients. It is clinically important to consider not only external balance, but also internal balances between the intravascular and extravascular portions of the extracellular fluid (ECF), between the ECF and the gut during daily flux, and between the ECF and intracellular fluid, since all these balances may be affected by disease, treatment and nutrition. Doctors’ knowledge of fluid and electrolyte pathophysiology is often as poor as their knowledge of nutrition. Both subjects require a major educational effort.