Water poisoning from drinking too much water .?

Question

I read this article about a woman who died from drinking too much water :

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/16478771.htm

My question : there was someone else in this contest who drank more water but didn't suffer the same fate. Why ?

Answer 1

Thats a very good question. Briefly, it all boils down to the kidneys.

To properly answer your question you have to understand a bit about how "water intoxication" can kill you. The main problem stems from SUDDENLY reducing the concentration of sodium in your blood - causing acute hyponatremia, which can cause the brain to swell and even herniate, which is often fatal.

In order to for this to happen, you have to drink HUGE volumes of water, like was done in this tragic contest. The reason it doesnt happen more often is that normally the kidneys do an excellent job of keeping water and electrolytes like sodium well-balanced. The only way you can cause water intoxication is by drinking water even faster than your kidneys can get rid of it. That is very very hard to do, which is why it happens so rarely. It takes HUGE amounts of water ingestion to overwhelm your kidneys ability to excrete it.

Bottom line: this poor woman may have died because her baseline kidney function was not as good as the other person who drank more water. Reduced baseline kidney function is commonly seen with diabetes, hypertension, or use of NSAIDs (like aspirin).

I hope this answers a question or two...

Answer 2

The other person wasn't the same height and weight as the individual that died. Also, if you drink a good bit of water everyday, then your body would be able to "handle" the water better. The lady that died drank nearly 2 gallons in about 3 hours. I drink about a gallon a day usually, so if I drank a gallon at once my body could process it better than someone that never drinks that much.

Answer 3

In water there are other trace elements eg iron. Also depending where the water came from and how long it was sitting out would affect the toxins in the water.

The lady who died after the contest died from an overdose of some trace element or toxin in the water, some peoples bodies can deal with more toxins than others.

This may be due to the metabolic rate of the person or for whatever reason.

Answer 4

Because she was Strange?

In another story I heard she drank the most. Maybe she drank before that or continued after? Maybe her bladder stopped working after holding it in for the contest?

Anyway, everyone is different. Why do some rides give people heart attacks and others not? Drinking two gallons is dangerous, that's all you have to know.

Answer 5

Drinking too much water can cause a condition called hyponatraemia, not enough sodium(salt) in the blood. This inturn affects the kidneys and the heart.

The reason why one person died and the other didn't is in relation to their body mass and sodium levels at the beginning of the contest.

Answer 6

wow, what an interesting article!! Well, too much of anything can kill you, but the problem with drinking too much water is it leaches your body of the essential nutrients such as potassium and sodium. The reason other people were fine is because they may have weighed more, Or might of had more nutrients in their body to spare. I just wonder why her body didnt make her throw up before dying. But she probably went into shock from her balance being thrown off and then cardiac arrest.

Answer 7

Hello

I think your find its because everyone of us is different. You maybe able to drink more water than me. What one person maybe able to do another person will not. Same goes for treatments and medications.
Some treatments may work 100% for one person, 50% for another and not at all for someone else.

For this woman it all depends on her own body structure. HER body obvisiously wasnt able to with stand the ammount of water that was being consummed. Resulting in her death. I read about this too. They werent allowed to go to the toilet either was they. Which also brings me to say that when we drink, our body takes the fluid to all the parts that its needed. Any wasted fluid is flushed out.....our need for passing water (toilet). If our body is refused this and we disallow ourselves to flush out the wasted fluid then our bodies will become intoxicated. Parts of our bodies will take in fluid where it's not needed....for example our lungs. Once these become full of water, we drown to death.

So this womans body was more than likely at the point where it was telling her to allow the wasted fluid to be flushed out, but because of the rules of this compertition she wasnt allowed too, she kept it in until her body gave up and in the event she died of it.

Answer 8

Is it nutrition poisoning or is it Norwalk virus (abdomen computer virus)? that's terrific if she beverages water.she would be able to grow to be dehydrated and could ought to circulate to the scientific institution to get fluids pumped into her physique. save her hydrated.in spite of if she throws it back up she needs fluids plus that's greater helpful to throw up something then dry heave.possibly somebody ought to purchase "sensible water" or "Gatorade" for her that have electrolytes. perhaps that's a solid concept that she take a circulate to to the scientific institution.besides the actuality that this could be uncomplicated and often times, no choose for pressing care, they could be waiting to furnish her medicine to make her experience greater helpful.

Answer 9

This is true I suffer from electrolyte deficiency syndrome if you check my questions you will see it is rare to be alive when this is found out as normally it's when your dead it effects the electrolytes in your brain I checked out the link and it states it on there, I have to have bloods checked every month sometimes I am on fluid restrictions I am lucky that it was found out by accident by a young trainee doctor. LUCKY ME

Answer 10

i live near where this happened. they said that many people felt sick, but she was the only one who died. don't know why she was different, other than some things affect others differently. i know she was very thin.

she came in second place. they estimate that she ended up drinking about two gallons of water in only several hours time.