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About 24 liters of fluid are filtered from capillaries each day and 20.4 liters are reabsorbed. What becomes of the difference?
AIt is excreted directly by the kidneys as urine
BIt is stored inside the venous reserve of the liver
CIt is collected by lymphatic capillaries and returned
DIt is consumed by the metabolism of the tissue cells
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. It is collected by lymphatic capillaries and returned
1. Capillary hydrostatic pressure exceeds colloidal osmotic pressure overall, so more fluid leaves than returns.
2. Across a day about 24 liters are filtered while only 20.4 liters are reabsorbed.
3. The surplus of roughly 3.6 liters is taken up by the thin walled capillaries of the lymphatic system.
4. Their many valves carry the fluid, now called lymph, into ever larger vessels that drain into the subclavian veins of the neck.
5. Fluid that stays behind in the tissues instead of being collected produces edema.
_Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 20 "The Cardiovascular System: Blood Vessels and Circulation", section 20.3 Capillary Exchange_
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