homoestasis

• Homeostasis is the maintenance of an almost constant internal environment despite fluctuations in the external environment
• Homeostasis maintains:

  • Body temperature
  • Concentration of the blood (e.g. water, glucose)
  • Levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide
  • Other physiological parameters
• Homeostasis covers several components:

  • Receptors: detect blood concentration of glucose, carbon dioxide or oxygen, or core body temperature
  • Effectors: usually glands or muscles that make changes such as secretion of hormones or constriction of blood vessels
  • Feedback systems: involve a control or co-ordination centre, such as the hypothalamus, that receives inputs from receptors and sends signals to effectors
• Body Temperature:

  • Ideal Range: 36.5- 37.5
  • Importance: Enzymes function optimally within this range
  • Hyperthermia (high temperature) can lead to protein denaturation, organ damage, seizures, coma
  • Hypothermia (low temperature) can lead to shivering, confusion, slowed organ function, potential death
• Water Balance:

  • Ideal Range: 55-60% of body weight
  • Importance: Water is essential for transporting nutrients, regulating body temperature, lubricating joints and cushioning organs
  • Dehydration can lead to fatigue, headaches, confusion, organ failure
  • Overhydration can cause electrolyte imbalance and potentially lead to seizures and coma
• Blood Glucose Concentration:

  • Ideal Range: 4.0-7.8 mmol/L (72-140 mg/dL)
  • Importance: Glucose is the primary energy source for the body and brain
  • Hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) can damage nerves, blood vessels, and organs
  • Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) can cause shakiness, sweating, confusion, and seizures
• Type 1 diabetes:

  • Body attacks its own beta cells within the pancreas
  • Pancreas fails to produce enough insulin
  • Liver and muscles do not take up glucose, leading to wide swings in blood glucose concentration
  • Short-term consequences can include coma or death, long-term consequences can include nerve damage and damage to blood vessels in the eye
  • Treatment requires regular insulin injections
• Type 2 diabetes:

  • Obesity is a risk factor
  • Liver and muscle cells become unresponsive to insulin
  • Reduction in the production of insulin
  • Treatment begins with diet and increased exercise, anti-diabetic drugs can be prescribed, insulin injections may be necessary
• Heat stroke or hyperthermia:

  • Hyperthermia occurs when core body temperature rises above the normal range
  • Heat stroke is a sudden increase in body temperature
  • Severe cases can lead to confusion, aggressive behaviour, increased respiration rate, organ failure, unconsciousness, and death
  • Treatment involves cooling the body, for example in an ice bath
• Hypothermia:

  • Occurs when body temperature falls below the normal level
  • Body temperature less than 35
  • First-aid treatment involves passive warming, i.e. removing cold or wet clothing and keeping the patient insulated
• Renal failure:

  • Result of chronic kidney disease
  • Causes include high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, inflammation or infection of the kidney
  • Symptoms include swollen ankles and accumulation of urea in the blood
  • Treatment involves renal dialysis or kidney transplant
• Graves’ disease:

  • Autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system creates antibodies that mimic TSH
  • Treatment involves reducing the production of thyroid hormones with drugs or radioactive iodine
• Infection:

  • Refers to invasion and multiplication of harmful organisms within the body's tissues
  • Can be localized or systemic
  • Treated with antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, or antiparasitic drugs
• Sepsis:

  • Life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs
  • Can lead to organ failure, shock, and death if not treated promptly
  • Requires immediate medical attention and typically involves antibiotics, fluids, and medications to support organ function
• Dehydration:

  • Occurs as a result of normal homeostatic mechanisms not working properly
  • Can occur due to excessive sweating, vomiting, decreased water intake, extreme heat, burns, diuretics
• Nervous disorders:

  • Tremor: involuntary, rhythmic muscle contraction causing shaking
  • Convulsion: rapid and repeated contraction of body muscles resulting in uncontrolled shaking and loss of consciousness
  • Causes include neurological problems, infections, head trauma, brain tumours
• Homeostasis is important because it helps maintain:
• homeostasis maintains

  body temperature ,concentration of the blood ,levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide,other psychologicall parameters