Hyponatremia, or a low sodium level in the body, is a condition in which there is not enough sodium or salt in the body fluids outside of the cells. Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte imbalance in the United States and is defined as occurring when the sodium blood level is below 135 mEq/L, according to MayoClinic.com.
Diet
A high-water and low-sodium diet can disturb the balance between sodium and fluids in the body, causing a low sodium blood level. Excessive intake of diuretic-type foods or liquids such as beer can have the same effect. Another dietary cause of low sodium is consuming excessive water during exercise. Sodium is lost through sweating, and the intake of too much water during endurance activities can dilute the sodium content in the blood. Primary polydipsia is a condition of extreme thirst which causes a person to drink abnormally excessive amounts of fluids. This disrupts the water and sodium balance, causing hyponatremia.
Hormones
Hormonal changes due to adrenal gland insufficiency, or Addison's disease, can lead to hyponatremia. The adrenal glands produce hormones that help to regulate the body's balance of sodium, water and potassium. A condition called SIADH, or syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone, causes the body to retain water instead of releasing it into the urine. This causes dangerously low sodium blood levels. Hyponatremia can also be seen in a severe form of hypothyroidism, the myxedema coma. This low sodium level is a result of decreased free water clearance. Elevated levels of anti-diuretic hormone may be responsible for the inability to excrete free water, causing low sodium.
Drugs
Some prescription medications can cause hyponatremia. Diuretics or water pills make the body excrete more sodium in the urine, especially thiazides. Some medications, such as antidepressants or pain pills, can cause increased perspiration or urination, depleting sodium. Trileptal, an anticonvulsant given to treat seizures, can reduce the sodium in the body to dangerously low levels, causing a life-threatening electrolyte imbalance, according to Drugs.com. The street drug Ecstasy, an amphetamine, can cause a ripple effect on the body's water and anti-diuretic hormone levels that can cause a severe case of hyponatremia.
Diseases
Some diseases and disorders of the body can cause low sodium levels. Kidney failure and other kidney disease can cause the body to be unable to efficiently move excess fluids from the body. Cirrhosis, or liver disease, can cause fluids to build up in the body. Hyponatremia is a frequent complication of advanced cirrhosis and is related to water retention without sodium retention; hyponatremia in cirrhosis is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Congestive heart failure, or CHF, is also a disorder that can cause hyponatremia, due to the lower extremity and abdominal retention of fluids. The American Journal of Cardiology reports that hyponatremia in CHF patients is caused by an increased activity of vasopressin, which increases blood volume and causes sodium dilution. Hyponatremia can also be triggered in CHF by the use of diuretics.
Other Causes
Other possible causes of low sodium levels include burns, diarrhea and vomiting.
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