Hyponatremia

Welcome to the hyponatremia blog! Where we talk all things relating to not having enough sodium in your body!  How little sodium do you need in order not to be hyponatremic?  You would need 135 mEq/L of sodium in you blood to be considered hyponatremic.  "Daily incidence and prevalence of hyponatremia averaged 0.97% and 2.48% respectively.  Two thirds of all hyponatremia was hospital acquired." (Anderson, Chung, Kluge, and Schrier 2015, pp. 01)  How would one feel if you don't have adequate sodium in the body?  This depends.  There are two types of hyponatremia: dilutional and depletetional.  Dilutional hyponatremia is when there is too much fluid in the body, causing the concentration of sodium in the body to go down.  Imagine having a cup of water and adding three tablespoons of salt.  Then, add 5 cups of water.  There would be less salt compared to water.  That is dilutional hyponatremia.  Depletional hyponatremia is simple.  Too much sodium is excreted from your body, most likely via urine, causing your sodium concentration in your blood to go lower than 135 mEq/L.  According to Mayoclinic, the general signs and symptoms of hyponatremia include, nausea and vomiting, headache, confusion, loss of energy/fatigue, restlessness along with irritability, muscle weakness/spasms/cramps, seizures, and coma.  Here is a video that goes into great depth explaining the differences between dilutional and depletional hyponatremmia: 

Hyponatremia Video:

There are many causes of hyponatremia.  These are: Medications (such as diuretics), congestive heart failure (causes fluid accumulation, thus dilutional hyponatremia), symdrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone (high levels of anti-diuretic hormone causes water retention, thus dilutional hyponatremia), chronic/severe vomiting or diarrhea (Causes your body to lose sodium; depletional), drinking too much water (dilutional), hormonal changes, and recreational drugs (ecstasy). 

Treatment for hyponatremia include fluid restriction, isotonic IV fluid, and medications to manage the signs and symptoms of hyponatremia.  There are also diuretics if your body has too much water, diluting the sodium.  

Remember, the greatest things to remember in preventing hyponatremia is to have adequate water intake.  This means 2.2 liters per day for women and 3 liters for men.  Drink no more than 1 liter per day!  If needed, drinks with electrolytes can help prevent sodium loss, such as Gatorade or Powerade (Martel 2012)

Works Cited

1) Martel, J. (2012, July 2). Low Blood Sodium (Hyponatremia). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.healthline.com/health/hyponatremia#Overview1

2) Anderson, R., Chung, H., Kluge, R., & Schrier, R. (1985, February 1). Hyponatremia: A Prospective Analysis of Its Epidemiology and the Pathogenetic Role of Vasopressin. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=699425

3) Staff, M. (2014, May 28). Hyponatremia. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyponatremia/basics/causes/con-20031445