How does water intoxication kill a person?

Question

What is the process happening in a body to shut down the body's functions?

Answer 1

It basically upsets the balance of certain minerals in the blood:

If water enters the body more quickly than it can be removed, body fluids are diluted and a potentially dangerous shift in electrolyte balance occurs.

Most water intoxication is caused by hyponatremia, an overdilution of sodium (salt) in the blood plasma, which in turn causes an osmotic shift of water from extracellular fluid (outside of cells) to intracellular fluid (within cells). The cells swell as a result of changes in osmotic pressure and may cease to function. When this occurs in the cells of the central nervous system and brain, water intoxication is the result. Additionally, many other cells in the body may undergo cytolysis, wherein cell membranes that are unable to stand abnormal osmotic pressures rupture, killing the cells

Answer 2

Having too much water (enough to overload the kidney filtration system) causes a ton of water in the blood stream. Because of selective permiability of our tissue cells (they only let certain things through the wall) the is a growing problem with concentration gradients. The cell has all types of junk in solution while the water is pretty clean. The junk can't come out the cell so the water tries to dilute it by entering. The cell function is thrown off and it could even rupture killing the cell. This is bad news when its happening all over the body.

Answer 3

Water intoxication refers to someone drinking too much water, not becoming "intoxicated" from it the way you do with alcohol. When you drink too much water (often as a result of drug taking) the water increases the pressure on your brain, and can be fatal.

Answer 4

MS3 is right.

Basicly you need salt and other minerals in your system for your body chemistry to work. If you drink too much water you flush these all out. You flush out all the electrolytes they aren't there to do their job, body chemistry freaks out, you die.

In the Army they force you to drink water in the summer to keep you from getting heat exhaustion, but they also keep an eye on you and make sure you take in enough salt as well, mix in some Gatorade or such. When my dad was in you had to take salt pills.

Answer 5

Many elderly people will die because of the meds they take, like blood pressure meds, that makes you urinate frequently and they lose near all the potassium in their system which in turn will kill them if not treated quickly.
Elderly people dont' drink much water for some reason and what happened to the woman in CA was pretty much the same thing she lost those minerals we all need to live!

Answer 6

there r different types of water intoxication there is bacterial viral chemical etc. so each of the toxins hv different effect on the body it can range from normal vomiting n tummy ache and dehydration to high grade fever and other worse condition u can think of so if u have any such case of water intoxication around u go see ur family physician n get ur blood test done.

Answer 7

Ptee's comment is right! Very hard to correct the problem when it happens too. Usually a problem with certain psych patients, but then someone from a radio station contest too...

Answer 8

What happens is you dilute your electrolytes, particularly sodium and potassium. Low sodium has been known to cause seizures, and low potassium can disturb your heart rhythm and cause your heart to stop beating. Your muscles (including your heart) and your nerves all depend on electrolytes to function properly, and if you have them in too dilute of concentrations, or too concentrated (as in dehydration), things start to go haywire.

Answer 9

Idk,its very weird tho,I was just reading about the lady in California in the paper a few mins ago...crazy!

Answer 10

AKA drowning