SCTIMST Staff Nurse - 2015 (Set-A)
Pharmacology
Easy
Which one of the following is a potassium-sparing diuretic?
Appeared in: SCTIMST Staff Nurse - 2015 (Set-A)
Explanation
- Spironolactone is classified as a potassium-sparing diuretic.
- It functions as a competitive antagonist of aldosterone, a hormone that regulates sodium and potassium balance.
- By blocking aldosterone receptors in the distal convoluted tubule and collecting ducts, spironolactone inhibits sodium reabsorption and potassium secretion.
- This mechanism results in the excretion of sodium and water, while conserving potassium, hence the term 'potassium-sparing'.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option B: Mannitol is an osmotic diuretic, not a potassium-sparing one. It works by increasing the osmotic pressure of the glomerular filtrate, which inhibits the reabsorption of water.
- Option C: Furosemide is a potent loop diuretic. It acts on the ascending limb of the Loop of Henle and causes significant excretion of sodium, chloride, water, and potassium, making it a potassium-wasting diuretic.
- Option D: Chlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic. It acts on the distal convoluted tubule and promotes the excretion of sodium, water, and potassium. It is a potassium-wasting diuretic.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Classification of diuretics and their effect on serum potassium as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- Nurses must monitor serum potassium levels for all patients on diuretics. The normal range is 3.5-5.0 mEq/L.
- Potassium-sparing diuretics carry a risk of hyperkalemia (K+ > 5.0 mEq/L), while loop and thiazide diuretics risk hypokalemia (K+ < 3.5 mEq/L).
- Patient education should include avoiding potassium supplements and high-potassium salt substitutes when taking spironolactone, unless specifically prescribed.
How to Approach the Question
- This is a factual recall question from pharmacology.
- Identify the key concept in the question stem: 'potassium-sparing diuretic'.
- Mentally review the major classes of diuretics: Loop, Thiazide, Potassium-sparing, and Osmotic.
- Categorize each of the four options into its respective diuretic class.
- Spironolactone is a classic example of a potassium-sparing diuretic.
- Furosemide is a loop diuretic, Chlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic, and Mannitol is an osmotic diuretic.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Classification of diuretics and their effect on serum potassium.
- Stem keywords: potassium-sparing diuretic
- Lead-in keywords: Which one
- Negative lead-in flag: false
Question ID
QXS1ZhFx_4Fq5ZLw5-n25l
Reference Book
E6 Pharmacology Nursing Lilley 11e Part 2 p. 150-152
E6 Pharmacology Katzung 16e p. 411-413
E6 Pharmacology KD Tripathi Essentials 9e Part 2 p. 261-263
Practise the full SCTIMST Staff Nurse - 2015 (Set-A)
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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