Hyponatremia symptoms are also more likely to be severe in children, according to American Family Physician. This can occur to anybody, but it's most common with bikers or people who work outside in hot weather. However, it's not fully known whether chronic hyponatremia itself has negative effects on health, apart from whatever underlying problem is causing the hyponatremia. Causes of Low Sodium in the Elderly. Some people experience mild symptoms, whereas some tend to experience the most severe form of symptoms. Dangerously low sodium levels can cause nonspecific symptoms. And certain surgical procedures, especially hip surgery, are especially likely to cause low sodium levels. Its symptoms vary from person to person and can be mild or more severe. Low sodium levels can also be due to fluctuations in hormone levels, according to Mayo Clinic. A low sodium level in the blood is a potentially life-threatening condition. Normal serum sodium levels are between approximately 135 and 145 mEq/liter (135 - 145 mmol/L). Here are some of the most common causes of low sodium levels; One of the common risk factors for dangerously low sodium levels is old age. Hyponatremia happens whenever there is an imbalance between the water and the sodium levels 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. diagnosis or treatment. Kim graduated from Marquette University in 2009 with a dual degree in nursing and Spanish. Can Progesterone Levels Be Too High In Early Pregnancy? A level of 129 is not dangerous. Let’s explore what dangerously low sodium levels actually mean and why is it important to ask for help in time. However, in cases of chronic hyponatremia, your brain has mechanisms that allow it to adapt to lowered sodium levels with little swelling. any of the products or services that are advertised on the web site. In fact, critically low sodium levels can be downright dangerous, placing the body and brain at risk. Low blood sodium is common in older adults, especially those who are hospitalized or living in long-term care facilities. If chronic hyponatremia is treated too aggressively, it may cause sodium levels to increase too rapidly and result in osmotic demyelination syndrome, per the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Symptoms result from brain dysfunction. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The material appearing on LIVESTRONG.COM is for educational use only. That means it can be hard to diagnose this condition without a blood test. Sodium is the major electrolyte found outside the body’s cells. Hyponatremia causes water to move out of the bloodstream and into tissue cells, causing them to expand. Let’s explore what dangerously low sodium levels actually mean and why is it important to ask for help in time. The condition is known as hyponatremia. Learn who is at risk for low sodium levels and the dangers of this condition. Copyright © Maya Dusenbery is a journalist, editor, and author of Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick. Low sodium that occurs in less than 48 hours (acute hyponatremia), is more dangerous than low sodium that develops slowly over time. A rapid decline in sodium levels is particularly dangerous to your brain. Addison's disease is a hormonal disease that causes low sodium levels. A normal sodium level is between 135 to 145 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L). Symptoms of low sodium may include:2 1. Therefore, the kidneys retain more potassium and excrete more sodium. Trouble concentrating 7. Confusion, Disorientation and Drowsiness Neurological changes are among the first signs of low sodium, an electrolyte that affects your fluid volume, nerve and muscle function. Read more: 5 Things You Need to Know About Recommended Daily Sodium Intake. Kidney or congestive heart failure, hypothyroidism, cirrhosis, medications, or strenuous exercise without electrolyte replacement can cause hyponatremia. "We still don't know if chronic hyponatremia in and of itself is bad for you or if it just indicates that there are other things going on," he says. Severe hyponatremia can cause seizures, coma and even death. I've been told that this is low and that normal is 133, doesn't seem that out of line. Since the risk of developing this syndrome is low, it should not prevent you from seeking treatment for hyponatremia. Hyponatremia is … In severe cases, low sodium levels can cause neurological symptoms, brain damage and even death if left untreated. Its symptoms vary from person to person and can be mild or more severe. In this disorder, aldosterone levels are low. Download now to fine-tune your diet today! If your sodium levels drop below 135 mmol per L, it's called hyponatremia. Moreover, we do not select every advertiser or advertisement that appears on the web site-many of the There is the problem of the critically low sodium levels being caused by many different reasons, including a number of health diseases and/or disorders. Health issues arising from extremely low sodium levels may be fatal. Headaches 2. A low sodium level has many causes, including consumption of too many fluids, kidney failure, heart failure, cirrhosis, and use of diuretics. There are many causes. It is of vital importance to maintain a good balance within the sodium levels in our body. Using certain medications such as diuretics, antidepressants, etc. Doctor, author and fitness enthusiast, Ahmed Zayed, MD, is a surgery resident with a passion for helping people live a happy healthy life. Learn about the symptoms of low sodium, sodium blood tests, and normal sodium levels. Sodium is an element, or an electrolyte, that is found in the blood. Sodium levels usually don't cause problems till it's in the low teens. The LIVESTRONG Foundation and LIVESTRONG.COM do not endorse The important thing is to have your doc figure out what is causing the low sodium. Privacy Policy Hyponatremia is present when levels drop below 135 mEq/L. The treatment for low sodium levels seems simple enough, and its principles are easily incorporated into one’s lifestyle. Severe hyponatremia (often defined as a serum sodium < 120 mEq/L) occurs most often in people with pituitary or lung tumors, those taking antipsychotic or other neuroleptic drugs, heavy beer drinkers, or … According to a January 2018 article in Kidney International Reports, that's why even severe cases of chronic hyponatremia aren't usually life-threatening. Copyright Policy Patients with alcoholism, malnutrition and advanced liver diseases are at increased risk. Others include loss of appetite, muscle cramps, headache and nausea. dangerously low sodium levels in blood treatments and preventions. As the brain tissue swells — which is called cerebral edema — it pushes up against your rigid skull and the pressure on your brain increases. 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.Premenopausal women appear to be at the greatest risk of hyponatremia-related brain damage. Sodium is one of the many important electrolytes in the body. This version of the condition is most often seen in people with heart failure, liver failure or lung cancer. Dangerously low sodium levels can lead to seizures. Hyponatremia or low sodium levels in the blood can result in signs and symptoms like headache, confusion, seizures, weakness, restlessness, and muscle spasms. Generally, low sodium is asymptomatic (does not produce symptoms), when it is mild or related to your diet. There is the problem of the critically low sodium levels being caused by many different reasons, including a number of health diseases and/or disorders. This can cause mild symptoms of nausea and headaches and eventually lead to rapid brain swelling and death. Water and sodium levels are closely related regulated together. Many of these causes are underlying medical issues, as well. This may be related to the effect of women's sex hormones on the body's ability to balance sodium levels. It represents a medical issue that can be caused by a long list of factors, and it is one that is most common within the elderly. Low serum sodium, or hyponatremia, is the term used to describe sodium levels in the blood lower than 135 mmol/L on a basic metabolic panel. Maintaining proper sodium levels in your blood is critical to health. Low sodium levels, left untreated can lead to seizures, coma, and potential death. dangerously low sodium levels in blood events. Illnesses such as pneumonia can also cause fluctuations in sodium that correct themselves when the patient is well again, he added. According to the Mayo Clinic, premenopausal women appear to be at the greatest risk of brain damage from hyponatremia, perhaps because of the role of estrogen and progesterone in regulating sodium levels. Rarely, the treatment of hyponatremia can also lead to neurological damage. 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! Once the sodium level drops, our cells expand from the abundance of water present in the blood. Its symptoms are similar to those caused by dehydration. Irritability 5. 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