Is it dangerous to have low sodium in your blood count? What usually causes it?

Answer 1

This Topic will help you out :
Definition:

Hyponatremia involves not having enough sodium in the body fluids outside the cells.
Alternative Names:

Dilutional hyponatremia; Euvolemic hyponatremia; Hypervolemic hyponatremia; Hypovolemic hyponatremia
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Sodium is the main cation (positive ion) that circulates in the body fluids outside the cells. It is a critical component in blood pressure maintenance. Sodium is also essential for the proper workings of nerves and muscles.

In hyponatremia, the imbalance of water to salt is caused by one of three conditions:

* Hypovolemic hyponatremia -- water and sodium are both lost from the body, but the sodium loss is greater.
* Hypervolemic hyponatremia -- both sodium and water content in the body increase, but the water gain is greater.
* Euvolemic hyponatremia -- there is an increase in total body water, but the sodium content remains constant.

Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disorder in the United States. It occurs in approximately 1% of patients admitted to the hospital.

Causes of hyponatremia include:

* Burns
* Vomiting and diarrhea
* Use of diuretics ("water pills"), especially of the type known as thiazide diuretics
* Certain kidney diseases
* Liver cirrhosis
* Congestive heart failure
* Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH)

SIADH is an inability of the body to excrete dilute urine. Common causes of SIADH are various cancers, central nervous system disorders, medications, hypothyroidism (lower-than-normal thyroid-hormone levels), and extremely stressful conditions, including surgery.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

2

Answer 4

It certainly can be dangerous if severe and acute. For one thing, all of the electrochemical activity that allows your nerves to work and heart and muscles to contract depends upon the interchange of sodium and potassium. For another thing, if a person's sodium dropped rapidly and severely, this would cause water to enter the body's cells, causing swelling. When this swelling happens in the brain, there is no room for expansion, and the person will quickly become comatose. This is why that woman who entered a radio contest to see how much water she could drink in order to win a Nintendo Wi died.

On the other hand, I have seen a number of elderly people come in with sodium levels around 120 (normal about 135 to 145) who seem completely unaffected, because they are used to that level.

I don't know what usually causes it, but there are a whole host of abnormal hormonal conditions or certain drugs that could lead to low sodium. A low sodium does not necessarily mean that your body is lacking sodium, but rather that there is an excess of free water relative to the sodium in your body.

One example I can think of is the marathon runner who drinks excessive water in an attempt to stay hydrated, only to become very ill from a sudden low sodium level.

Answer 5

3

Answer 6

when you are having memory loss will it come back when the sodium level is up?

Answer 7

Diuretics, hemodilution in ht failure.