Prolonged prednisone therapy commonly causes which fluid-related effect?

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Multiple Choice

Prolonged prednisone therapy commonly causes which fluid-related effect?

Long-term prednisone can act like a mineralocorticoid, increasing sodium reabsorption in the distal nephron and pulling water along with it. This expands the extracellular fluid volume, leading to edema and often contributing to higher blood pressure. The most direct description of this fluid-related effect is sodium retention with fluid retention, because it nails the underlying mechanism driving the edema and volume expansion. Edema is a consequence you’d see, hypertension can accompany, and weight gain may reflect fluid retention among other prednisone effects, but the core fluid issue is the sodium-and-water retention.

Long-term prednisone can act like a mineralocorticoid, increasing sodium reabsorption in the distal nephron and pulling water along with it. This expands the extracellular fluid volume, leading to edema and often contributing to higher blood pressure. The most direct description of this fluid-related effect is sodium retention with fluid retention, because it nails the underlying mechanism driving the edema and volume expansion. Edema is a consequence you’d see, hypertension can accompany, and weight gain may reflect fluid retention among other prednisone effects, but the core fluid issue is the sodium-and-water retention.

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