Cardiovascular Drugs and Medications Q 46
Which of the following clients is most likely to experience adverse effects from treatment with diuretics?
A. A 21-year-old student
B. A 40-year-old unmarried man
C. A 60-year-old widower
D. A 75-year-old man
Correct Answer: D. A 75-year-old man
Elderly clients are more sensitive to the effects of diuretics. Diuretics are drugs that pharmacologically tilt the renal fluid regulation in favor of excretion of water and electrolytes. Thus, diuretics are substances that increase the production and volume of urine.
Option A: Diuretics, along with salt restriction, are also recommended as the first-line therapy in ascites due to liver cirrhosis. In cirrhotic ascites, spironolactone is the drug of choice for initial therapy (due to its antiandrogenic effect), although a loop diuretic may be added as an adjunct if the treatment fails or can be added at the outset in synergistic combination therapy.
Option B: The most common adverse effect for any diuretic is mild hypovolemia, which can lead to transient dehydration and increased thirst. When there is an over-treatment with a diuretic, this could lead to severe hypovolemia, causing hypotension, dizziness, and syncope.
Option C: More generalized side-effects of diuretic agents include headache, urinary frequency, restlessness, weakness, fatigue, and lethargy. GI disturbances like nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, anorexia, and abdominal pain can occur with loop diuretics and PSDs than any other diuretic group.