Body fluids A Brief introduction

Body fluids, are liquids that exist within the human

body. In a healthy adult male, the total body water is
approximately 60% of their total body weight, while
in women, it is slightly lower at 52-55%. The
percentage of fluid in the body is inversely
proportional to the percentage of body fat. For
example, a lean 70 kg man has around 42-47 liters of
water in his body.

The total body water is divided into two

compartments: extracellular fluid compartment,
which is the fluid outside the cells and contains
around 14-15 liters of water(1/3). And the
intracellular fluid compartment that is inside cells
and contains around 28-32 liters of water(2/3).

The extracellular fluid (1/3) compartment is further

divided into the interstitial fluid volume and the
intravascular volume. The interstitial fluid volume is outside both cells and blood vessels and contains around
12 liters of water. The intravascular volume is inside the blood vessels and contains around 4 liters of water.

The intravascular volume is divided into the venous volume and the arterial volume.

The interstitial fluid compartment is divided into two subcompartments: the lymphatic fluid compartment
(around 8 liters) and the transcellular fluid compartment (around 4 liters).

Transcellular fluids include, cerebrospinal fluid, aqueous humor in the eye, serous fluid in the serous
membranes lining body cavities, perilymph and endolymph in the inner ear, and joint fluid.