why is my body low in sodium treatment

Therapy

Other medical conditions and factors that can cause sodium levels to fall include:

• diarrhea or vomiting
• heart failure
• kidney disease
• liver disease
• medication use
• syndrome of inappropriate ADH secretion (SIADH)

Self-care

In severe cases, you may have one or more of the following:

• Nausea or vomiting.
• Headache, confusion, or fatigue
• Low blood pressure
• Loss of energy
• Muscle weakness, twitching, or cramps
• Seizures or coma
• Restlessness or bad temper

Nutrition

—A low serum sodium may portend a diagnosis of cancer according to the results of a nationwide, population-based cohort study of more than 16,000 Danish men and women with newly detected hyponatremia. Physicians may soon have a new way to help predict cancer at earlier stages. Interestingly, it may hinge on sodium levels.

What are the symptoms and causes of low sodium?

The Mayo Clinic and a May 2021 StatPearls review cite these common symptoms:

• Excessive thirst
• Decreased ability to urinate
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Confusion

What are the health problems of low sodium?

Is low sodium a sign of cancer?

When to be concerned about low sodium?

Can a person recover from low sodium levels?

Hyponatremia can result from multiple diseases that often are affecting the lungs, liver or brain, heart problems like congestive heart failure, or medications. Most people recover fully with their doctor's help.

How do you treat a low sodium patient?

TreatmentIntravenous fluids. Your doctor may recommend IV sodium solution to slowly raise the sodium levels in your blood. ... Medications. You may take medications to manage the signs and symptoms of hyponatremia, such as headaches, nausea and seizures.

What causes low sodium level?

A low sodium level has many causes, including consumption of too many fluids, kidney failure, heart failure, cirrhosis, and use of diuretics. Symptoms result from brain dysfunction.

How do I raise my sodium levels?

Intravenous (IV) fluids with a high-concentration of sodium, and/or diuretics to raise your blood sodium levels. Loop Diuretics - also known as "water pills" as they work to raise blood sodium levels, by making you urinate out extra fluid.

How quickly can you correct sodium?

The rate of sodium correction should be 6 to 12 mEq per L in the first 24 hours and 18 mEq per L or less in 48 hours.

How long does it take to recover from low sodium?

If you have severe hyponatremia, you may need sodium to be replaced with intravenous (IV) fluids. 7 The IV fluid will contain water, sodium, and other key electrolytes. The medical team will restore the sodium level over the course of several hours or days, depending on the severity of your condition.

What is the best source of sodium?

Top Sources of Sodium1Sandwiches.Cold cuts and cured meats.Soups.Burritos and tacos.Savory snacks*Chicken.Cheese.Eggs and Omelets.More items...

Does eating salt increase sodium levels?

Increasing salt intake increased sodium excretion, but also unexpectedly caused the kidney to conserve water. Excess sodium was thus released in concentrated urine. This method of protecting the body's water was so efficient that the men actually drank less when their salt intake was highest.

How do you treat low sodium in elderly?

Hyponatremia treatments may include changing a medication that affects your sodium level, treating the underlying disease, changing the amount of water you drink or changing the amount of salt in your diet.

What Causes Low Sodium in Blood?

Hyponatremia causes can be linked to direct and indirect factors. As our blood sodium levels drop, it is important to take note of recent lifestyle...

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Hyponatremia

There are several symptoms that indicate the sodium levels in your blood have dropped too low. Initial stages of low levels may not present any sym...

How to Increase Sodium Levels

Hyponatremia treatment starts with increasing sodium levels in the blood as determined by the cause. Under a doctor’s care, or as an existing hospi...

How to treat low sodium?

It may include: cutting back on fluid intake. adjusting the dosage of diuretics. taking medications for symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and seizures. treating underlying conditions.

How to prevent low sodium levels?

Prevention of low blood sodium. Keeping your water and electrolyte levels in balance can help prevent low blood sodium. If you’re an athlete, it’s important to drink the right amount of water during exercise. You should also consider drinking rehydration beverages like Gatorade or Powerade.

What does it mean when your sodium is low?

The results of this test will help your doctor determine the cause of your low blood sodium: If your blood sodium levels are low but your urine sodium levels are high, your body is losing too much sodium. Low sodium levels in both your blood and your urine mean your body isn’t taking in enough sodium. There may also be too much water in your body.

What is the sodium level in your blood?

In other words, there’s either too much water or not enough sodium in your blood. Normally, your sodium level should be between 135 and 145 milliequivalents per liter.

Why is sodium important?

Sodium is an essential electrolyte that helps maintain the balance of water in and around your cells. It’s important for proper muscle and nerve function. It also helps maintain stable blood pressure levels. Insufficient sodium in your blood is also known as hyponatremia. It occurs when water and sodium are out of balance.

What happens if your sodium levels drop?

If they drop very quickly, your symptoms may be more severe. Losing sodium quickly is a medical emergency. It can cause loss of consciousness, seizures, and coma. Common symptoms of low blood sodium include: weakness. fatigue or low energy.

What is the best way to check for low sodium?

A blood test can help your doctor check for low sodium levels. Even if you don’t have symptoms of low blood sodium, your doctor may order a basic metabolic panel. This tests the amounts of electrolytes and minerals in your blood. A basic metabolic panel is often part of a routine physical.

What causes sodium to be lowered?

Heart, kidney and liver problems. Congestive heart failure and certain diseases affecting the kidneys or liver can cause fluids to accumulate in your body, which dilutes the sodium in your body, lowering the overall level. Syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone (SIADH).

What happens when the sodium in your blood is abnormally low?

Hyponatremia occurs when the concentration of sodium in your blood is abnormally low. Sodium is an electrolyte, and it helps regulate the amount of water that's in and around your cells.

What is the normal sodium level?

A normal blood sodium level is between 135 and 145 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L). Hyponatremia occurs when the sodium in your blood falls below 135 mEq/L. Many possible conditions and lifestyle factors can lead to hyponatremia, including: Certain medications. Some medications, such as some water pills (diuretics), ...

How to prevent low sodium?

Getting treatment for conditions that contribute to hyponatremia, such as adrenal gland insufficiency, can help prevent low blood sodium. Educate yourself. If you have a medical condition that increases your risk of hyponatremia or you take diuretic medications, be aware of the signs and symptoms of low blood sodium.

Why does my body lose sodium?

Chronic, severe vomiting or diarrhea and other causes of dehydration. This causes your body to lose electrolytes, such as sodium, and also increases ADH levels. Drinking too much water. Drinking excessive amounts of water can cause low sodium by overwhelming the kidneys' ability to excrete water.

Why do older people have hyponatremia?

Older adults may have more contributing factors for hyponatremia, including age-related changes, taking certain medications and a greater likelihood of developing a chronic disease that alters the body's sodium balance.

How long does it take for sodium to drop?

In chronic hyponatremia, sodium levels drop gradually over 48 hours or longer — and symptoms and complications are typically more moderate. In acute hyponatremia, sodium levels drop rapidly — resulting in potentially dangerous effects, such as rapid brain swelling, which can result in a coma and death.

Why is hyponatremia a problem?

What causes hyponatremia? In general, too much water in your body is usually the main problem and this dilutes the sodium levels. Much less frequently, hyponatremia is due to significant sodium loss from your body. Too much water in your body causes your blood to become “watered down.”.

How to treat hyponatremia?

If you have mild symptoms, your doctor makes small adjustments to your therapy to correct the problem. This usually involves restricting water intake, adjusting medications and removing or treating the causes.

What is hyponatremia in labs?

What is hyponatremia? Hyponatremia is usually discovered on laboratory tests as a lower than normal sodium level in the blood. It will appear as sodium or Na+ in your lab results. Actually, the main problem in the vast number of situations is too much water that dilutes the Na+ value rather than too much sodium.

What happens if you have hyponatremia?

In many cases, hyponatremia causes extra water to move out of the bloodstream and into body cells, including brain cells. Severe hyponatremia causes this to occur quickly, resulting in swollen brain tissue. If left untreated, complications can include: 1 Mental status changes 2 Seizures 3 Coma 4 Death

What causes swollen brain tissue?

In many cases, hyponatremia causes extra water to move out of the bloodstream and into body cells, including brain cells. Severe hyponatremia causes this to occur quickly, resulting in swollen brain tissue. If left untreated, complications can include:

Why is water watered down?

Too much water in your body causes your blood to become “watered down.”. A good example is people who run in long races or run on hot days. They lose both salt and water in their sweat and often replace these losses with mostly water. This combination can be deadly because it dilutes the remaining sodium in the body.

What is the best medication for hyponatremia?

Certain newer medications, like tolvaptan (Samsca®), may be used to correct blood sodium levels. Treatment to correct any underlying medical problems – like congestive heart failure (when poor heart function causes fluid to build up in the body) – is also used to improve hyponatremia.

How long does it take for sodium to drop?

You may need to stay in the hospital and have: If you get hyponatremia often (chronic hyponatremia), your sodium levels are likely to drop very slowly over a few days and you're less likely to have complications. But with acute hyponatremia, your sodium levels drop very quickly.

What is hyponatremia in blood?

What Is Hyponatremia? Hyponatremia (low blood sodium) is a condition that means you don’t have enough sodium in your blood. You need some sodium in your bloodstream to control how much water is in and around the cells in your body.

How does Addison's disease affect your blood?

If your thyroid hormone is too low, it can also affect your sodium level. Drinking too much water . It can dilute the amount of sodium in your blood.

What test is used to diagnose hyponatremia?

Hyponatremia Diagnosis. Because the symptoms of hyponatremia can vary so much from person to person, your doctor will probably order blood and urine test s to confirm the diagnosis. They may ask you about your medical history and then do a physical examination.

How do you know if you have hyponatremia?

Signs of hyponatremia may include: Nausea with vomiting. Fatigue. Headache or confusion. Cramps or spasms in your muscles. Irritability and restlessness. Weakness. If you know you are at risk of hyponatremia and start seeing symptoms, call your doctor. If your symptoms are severe, you may need immediate care.

What causes a person to sweat more?

These include: Medications. Water pills (diuretics) and some antidepressants and pain medications can make you pee or sweat more. That can affect your sodium level. Health problems. Heart failure and kidney or liver disease can affect the amount of fluids in your body, and in turn, your level of sodium.

Why are older people more likely to get hyponatremia?

Since older adults are usually more likely to take certain medications or develop chronic diseases, they’re generally more likely to get hyponatremia. But at any age, you’re more likely to get it if you have certain conditions, including:

What causes low sodium (hyponatremia)?

Hyponatremia, or a low sodium level, is the most common electrolyte problem. Sodium levels in the blood are affected by how much sodium we eat or how much water we drink. However, the body adjusts for variations in our diet in order to maintain normal sodium levels. Below are some of the common causes of hyponatremia.

What are the symptoms of low sodium levels?

The symptoms of hyponatremia are related to the way it causes fluid shifts in the brain. The severity of symptoms depends on both the sodium levels and how fast sodium levels change.

How low is too low?

Hyponatremia is always diagnosed with a blood test, usually a blood electrolyte panel. Your doctor might check your sodium levels routinely if you are on a medication that can cause low sodium. Or it may be discovered on a blood test that is ordered for a different reason.

How do you treat low sodium levels?

The most important treatment for low sodium is treating the underlying cause. Your provider will make sure you are getting the best treatment for your illness while correcting your sodium levels.

The bottom line

Sodium is a vital mineral that plays an important role in many bodily functions. So, when levels get too low, it can cause some problems — particularly with fluid levels, blood pressure, and brain function.

What does it mean when you have low sodium?

Low blood sodium (hyponatremia) occurs when you have an abnormally low amount of sodium in your blood or when you have too much water in your blood. Low blood sodium is common in older adults, especially those who are hospitalized or living in long-term care facilities.

How to treat hyponatremia?

Hyponatremia treatments may include changing a medication that affects your sodium level, treating the underlying disease, changing the amount of water you drink or changing the amount of salt in your diet.

What are the causes of hyponatremia?

Hyponatremia is more common in older adults because they're more likely to take medications or have medical conditions that put them at risk of the disorder. These risk factors include: 1 Drugs that make you urinate more (diuretics) 2 Some types of antidepressants 3 Carbamazepine, an anti-seizure medication 4 Underactive thyroid or adrenal glands 5 Decreased function of the kidneys, liver or heart 6 Certain cancers, including lung cancer 7 Certain illnesses, such as pneumonia or urinary tract infections, that can cause dehydration

Why is hyponatremia more common in older adults?

Hyponatremia is more common in older adults because they're more likely to take medications or have medical conditions that put them at risk of the disorder. These risk factors include: Drugs that make you urinate more (diuretics) Some types of antidepressants. Carbamazepine, an anti-seizure medication.

Why is my sodium level low?

Causes. Low sodium can result from lifestyle factors and medical conditions. There are several hormonal issues that can cause low sodium. Lifestyle issues, related to sodium or fluid intake or to excessive sweating can affect sodium levels as well.

What causes low sodium levels?

There are a few medical illnesses that can result in low sodium levels, including hormonal issues and brain injuries. Typically, hormonal issues develop slowly, and the sodium level can be corrected gradually before it causes any serious problems.

What is the name of the hormone that prevents the body from losing water in the urine?

Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone Hypersecretion (SIADH): Antidiuretic hormone (ADH) is a hormone that prevents your body from losing too much water in the urine—especially when you are getting dehydrated. In SIADH, ADH causes the body to hold on to too much water, which makes the sodium concentration too low. 6 

What causes SIADH?

In SIADH, ADH causes the body to hold on to too much water, which makes the sodium concentration too low. 6 . Lung problems like cancer may cause SIADH, as can many drugs like Tegretol (carbamazepine) and Elavil (amitriptyline) .

What happens if you eat too much salt?

Your body needs dietary iodine to make thyroid hormones. When you have low sodium due to dietary restriction, you are likely to have symptoms of hypothyroidism too.

How long does it take for salt to go down?

It can take weeks or months for you to experience the effects of low salt in your diet—and these effects can be corrected by just one day of normal salt intake. However, when sodium levels rapidly decline, which can happen due to certain medical issues, you may experience serious health effects that can worsen rapidly.

What are the symptoms of low sodium?

Symptoms of low sodium may include: 2 . Headaches. Nausea and vomiting. Fatigue.

Why is my sodium level low?

Causes and Symptoms. The most common causes of low sodium levels in healthy individuals are excessive sweating, vomiting and diarrhea. If you take diuretics regularly you are also at risk of developing low sodium levels. Illnesses that may cause hyponatremia include liver cirrhosis, congestive heart failure and kidney disease.

What are the symptoms of low sodium?

The symptoms of low sodium levels include a headache that gets progressively worse, hallucinations, confusion, fatigue, irritability nausea and vomiting. You may also experience muscle cramps, spasms and weakness. Advertisement.

What is the best way to stabilize sodium levels?

Intravenous Fluids. Intravenous fluids in the form of isotonic saline are used to treat more severe cases of low sodium levels. An isotonic saline solution has a similar concentration of saline, or salt, as the concentration of saline in body fluids. This helps stabilize sodium levels.

How to treat hyponatremia?

Restrict Fluid Intake. If you exhibit signs of hyponatremia, the first treatment step is to monitor fluid intake. Individuals should not consume more than 1.5 liters of fluids daily when suffering from hyponatremia. This allows the body to balance sodium levels.

Is low sodium dangerous?

Low sodium levels can be dangerous and require treatment by a professional. Low sodium levels, or hyponatremia, can lead to confusion, a coma or even death. It is the most common electrolyte disorder in the United States, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Why is my sodium level low?

Many of these causes are underlying medical issues, as well. Here are some of the most common causes of low sodium levels; Vomiting. Diarrhea. Using certain medications such as diuretics, antidepressants, etc. Dehydration. Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) Kidney disease. Liver disease.

How to treat low sodium?

The treatment for critically low sodium levels usually includes reducing the fluid intake, treating the symptoms themselves, and adjusting the dosage of diuretics or any other medications that might be causing the symptoms in the first place. If there is an underlying cause, the focus of the treatment would be to eliminate it, and with that, ...

What is the importance of sodium in the body?

It is of vital importance to maintain a good balance within the sodium levels in our body. Critically low sodium levels in the blood is also referred to as hyponatremia. Hyponatremia happens whenever there is an imbalance between the water and the sodium levels in the body. In healthy adults, what is considered to be normal sodium levels is anything between 135 and 145 mEq/L. Anything below 135 mEq/L is labeled as hyponatremia.

What is low sodium in blood?

Low sodium levels in blood is also referred to as hyponatremia. Hyponatremia happens whenever there is an imbalance between the water and the sodium levels in the body.

What are the symptoms of low sodium?

Fatigue. Muscle cramps. Confusion. Irritability. Among the elderly, the most common symptoms include lethargy, altered personality, and confusion. The most severe cases of low sodium levels can be linked to seizures, coma, and even death.

How to increase sodium levels?

You can also act to improve your sodium levels by improving your diet and eating certain foods that are considered to have a positive impact on your sodium blood levels! Try eating more of the following foods that are high in sodium; Salter butter or margarine. Olives. Sauerkraut.

Why is sodium important?

Sodium is one of the many important electrolytes in the body. It has many vital functions, including maintaining a healthy water balance in and around the cells, proper muscle function, proper nerve function, stable blood pressure levels, etc. It is of vital importance to maintain a good balance within the sodium levels in our body.

Overview

Symptoms

Causes

Risk Factors

Complications

Prevention